HYGIENE standards at Worcester’s food outlets are continuing to improve.

End-of-year figures from Worcester City Council reveal 95 per cent of inspected premises now meet the acceptable standard of two stars or above under its scores-on-the- doors system.

Five businesses currently have no stars for “very poor” food hygiene, four of which are pubs which do not specialise in food. One- star ratings have been given to a further 18 of the 782 assessed businesses.

Helen Cameron, senior environmental health officer for food safety, said publication of the scores on the doors in local papers, including your Worcester News, had helped to raise standards.

“It’s really good news,” she said.

“It’s all partly due to printing the scores. Businesses are very keen to score high.

“Some local authorities are below 50 per cent when it comes to the number of their businesses which are broadly compliant (two stars). A lot of what we have done to improve is through advice, support and encouragement.

“Anything below two stars, we are working with. When we visit a premises, we give them a rating.

“If there’s something wrong, we revisit as many times as necessary.

“If it was very, very bad, we have powers to close down through the courts. Over the past three years, we have not had to do that at all.

“Businesses are always welcome to contact us to ask advice.”

The city council signed up to the scores-on-the- doors scheme in 2008 which, for the first time, allowed members of the public to see the individual results of food hygiene inspections carried out by the environmental health team.

The system has been credited with helping to improve standards as, at the outset, a quarter of outlets in Worcester did not meet basic levels of hygiene and food safety.

Everyone can see the results for each food outlet by visiting scoresonthedoors.org.uk.