FOOD hygiene data for Dudley has revealed the worst rated cafes and restaurants in the borough.

Just seven sit-in eateries in the Dudley borough currently have a food hygiene rating of one or zero, according to the Food Standards Agency.

Bake 'n' Butty, D'Luxe Desserts and The New Wall Heath Tandoori received zero ratings at their last inspections, according to the latest available data.

While Big Macs in Lye, Charlton House Bar/Restaurant in Dudley, Redforte Indian Restaurant in Wollaston, Stourbridge, and Ronny's Spice in Bilston all achieved a rating of just one star when last inspected.

Food inspectors called for major improvements to be made to the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building at The New Wall Heath Tandoori, in High Street, and regarding the management of food safety, while improvements regarding the hygienic handling of food were also deemed necessary to ensure food is safe to eat after inspectors visited on August 18 this year.

At D'Luxe Desserts, in Lye High Street, major improvements were called for regarding the management of food safety and the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building, including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control), while improvements were also called for regarding the preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage of food following an inspection on August 24 this year.

At Bake 'n' Butty, in Dudley High Street, major improvements were ordered regarding the management of food safety and the cleanliness and condition of the venue. Improvements regarding the handling of food were also called for after the last inspection on August 21, 2019.

At Big Macs in Pedmore Road, Lye, which was last inspected on June 27 2019, food handling was considered good and cleanliness was generally satisfactory but major improvements were called for regarding food safety.

Food handling and cleanliness was considered generally satisfactory at Charlton House Bar/Restaurant in New Street, Dudley, which was last inspected on December 19 2019, but major improvements were ordered to manage food safety.

At Redforte Indian Restaurant in Wollaston High Street, which was inspected on August 24 this year, and Ronny's Spice in Birmingham New Road, Bilston, inspected on October 8 2020, improvements were deemed necessary regarding food handling and cleanliness and major improvements called for regarding food safety.

Ronny's, however, was recently reinspected, however, and a new rating is expected to be published soon.

The Food Standards Agency suspended routine food inspections for six months, with teams focussing only on high risk situations, when the pandemic hit.

Councillor Nicolas Barlow, Dudley Council's cabinet member for health and adult social care, said the council's food hygiene team had done "a remarkable job" of continuing to focus on the most high risk premises while assisting with the authority's essential Covid crisis activities.

He said the team managed to clear a significant backlog of inspection just before coronavirus hit - putting them in a strong position to help to keep businesses compliant and able to trade while keeping consumers safe.

He added: "People can check details of compliance with the regulations at ratings.food.gov.uk and feel assured they have the most up to date information before making a purchase."

The overall proportion of food premises in the borough which are broadly compliant with food hygiene legislation (rated 3, 4 or 5) as of April 2021 was 85 per cent.

People can see the results of food hygiene inspections via the council’s website or on the national ratings.food.gov.uk website.