A Lancashire restaurateur has defended his businesses after envionmental health officers warned him over hygiene standards.
Paul Heathcote, owner of the Olive Press and Chop House eateries, attacked the star-rating system adopted by local council.
A visit earlier from Preston Council's environmental health team this summer saw Heathcote's Olive Press and Chop House eateries given a two-star hygiene rating – which falls below the acceptable three-star standard – for a second time.
Despite being given a clean bill of health on a revisit last month, that is the rating they will be stuck with until the inspector calls again.
The celebrity chef fears that the FoodSafe league table, launched by Preston Council in March to rank eating establishments in the city on a 0-5 star basis, will end up as a "scores on the doors" system.
He says: "Customers will look at the star rating like a hotel rating, which is not correct.
"This system is extremely complex and confusing and these star ratings do not mean very much.
"They are misleading to both the operator and the customer, and I feel I am being personally victimised."
For the full story see Friday's Lancashire Evening Post
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