Preston health inspectors horror after finding dead rat at New Hall Lane takeaway

The rat was found cooked to a crisp in the kitchen of Mexicano Food Box in New Hall Lane during a surprise inspection on September 18.

Food safety officers from Preston City Council have since clarified that the rat was not ‘deep-fried’, as initially reported, but was found ‘dehydrated’ inside the takeaway’s kitchen.

The premises were also infested with cockroaches, leaving them with no option but to hand the takeaway a zero hygiene rating and demand urgent improvements be made.

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Hygiene horror

Council inspectors said “major improvement was necessary” in regards to its cleanliness and the condition of the facilities and building, a well as management of food safety. It also found improvement was needed in relation to “hygienic food handling”.

Inspectors found open food containers were left accessible to cockroaches and a poorly maintained building was making it too easy for the critters to find shelter and thrive in the property.

Other issues included bread buns stored next to raw donner kebabs, a lack of clean clothing for staff and food being stored in open containers, all of which was deemed to be a contamination risk.

The kitchen was in a generally filthy condition, with the microwave, freezers, spice containers, drinks fridge and cooker all found to be dirty on the day of inspection.

Ditched by Deliveroo, JustEat and Uber Eats

As a result of the zero hygiene rating, the takeaway was removed from Uber Eats on October 15, and is no longer available on Deliveroo and JustEat.

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The New Hall Lane takeaway - which describes itself as ‘one of the finest takeaways in town’ - sells pizzas, burgers, wraps, kebabs, fried chicken, curry and noodles.

Mexicano Food Box agreed to close the takeaway temporarily while it tackled the infestation, including a deep clean of the premises.

In addition to a deep-clean, food hygiene officers told the takeaway to ensure staff always have access to soap to wash their hands, and suggested formal food hygiene training should be provided.

It has since reopened after taking steps to improve its hygiene standards, and Preston City Council said inspectors have revisited the takeaway and were satisified that improvements had been made to a minimum legal level.

The new food hygiene rating for Mexicano Food Box has not been confirmed at this stage.

What the Council said

A letter to Mexicano Food Box from Preston City Council said: “The premises was in a poor state of cleanliness at the time of the inspection and a cockroach infestation was found without adequate control. Food was not protected from a risk of contamination.

“You agreed to voluntarily close the business to carry out a deep clean and put measures in place to control the cockroach infestation.”

In a statement to the LEP, a spokesperson for the city council added: “We have been informed that the premises closed voluntarily to undertake work needed to reach an appropriate standard.

“The Commercial Regulatory Services team carries out around 1,000 visits a year to support businesses to meet food hygiene standards, and protect public health.

“Where things go wrong, inspectors can detain and seize food, equipment, records, and in the worse cases require a business to stop using a particular ingredient, process or premises.

“Food law provides a minimum standard for businesses to maintain. Where businesses fail to maintain those hygiene standards, formal action will be taken where the proprietor does not cooperate fully.

“The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme provides easy access to the ratings of all registered food businesses which are within scope.

“Almost all Preston food businesses have a rating of 3 or more, and three quarters have a rating of 5. The higher the score, the better the business was at the time of the inspection.”

Mexicano Food Box was approached for comment.