SOME food premises in Basingstoke and Deane have not been inspected for hygiene for more than eight years, as the borough council admits it has a backlog of inspections to carry out following the pandemic.

ITV News highlighted a problem with the Covid pandemic causing a backlog for local environmental health inspectors, who are faced with a huge catch-up operation.

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Figures it obtained from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) showed that 53,642 kitchens were listed as awaiting inspection.

In Basingstoke and Deane, there are 237 awaiting inspection. 

Problems began when environmental health officers suspended kitchen inspections during the pandemic and were instead deployed to advise businesses and the public on measures being taken to reduce the spread of Covid.

At the same time, many food businesses were struggling financially following months of closure and also with staff being off sick.

According to ITV, this added up to a recipe for a hygiene disaster, with an increasing number of food premises letting cleaning standards fall.

In Basingstoke and Deane, six food businesses have a rating or one out of five; five are rated as two; 25 have a rating of three; and the rest are a four or five.

There are more than 1,300 businesses listed on the FSA site in Basingstoke and Deane.

However, hundreds have not been inspected since before the Covid-19 pandemic, with several not receiving a visit from environmental health officers for eight years, since 2014.

This included Little Rose’s Coffee Shop, at Elm Park Garden Centre in Aldermaston Road which was lasted inspected in April 2014 when it received a five-star rating.

Liz Harris, owner of the popular coffee shop, said she had been asked by the council to fill in a form two years ago, but had not heard anything since.

She added: “We don’t have a kitchen so we are classed as lower risk. They never let you know when they’re inspecting, they just turn up and I would imagine ours is imminent.

“I think the pandemic has affected things. At the back of our minds it could be any day because I think they are starting to inspect more premises.

“For our own reassurance it would be good and to be more on the ball. But from the perspective of anyone walking in, if I go somewhere and I feel comfortable I go back. If you have a bad experience, you don’t go back. A lot of our customers are regular.”

The borough council said it has a backlog of inspections because of the pandemic.

As of March 31, 2022, the council said there were 237 food businesses of all risk categories due for an inspection.

Between October 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022, the food safety team carried out 255 physical food premises inspections for both new and existing businesses, with the team expected to cover a similar number during the next six-month period to September 30, 2022.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s interim director of residents’ services Tom Payne said: “As with other councils across the country, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 our food safety team was redeployed to support businesses with national guidance and enforcing the national Covid regulations. This has led to a backlog in food safety inspections.

“The Foods Standards Agency has set out a plan to ensure councils can catch up on delayed inspections and this prioritises inspections for higher risk premises while providing more flexibility for lower risk establishments.

“In line with this plan, we are focussing on newly registered businesses and higher risk premises for inspection during the next 18 months to ensure that residents and visitors can have confidence in food premises across the borough.

"This is alongside the team’s other priorities, such as investigating reports of food poisoning, investigating food safety concerns from residents and supporting businesses. Our teams continue to work hard to address the backlog in inspections in line with the Food Standards Agency’s plan.”

Referring to Little Rose's Coffee Shop, a council spokesperson said this is classed as a 'low-risk' premises, meaning it can be assessed using remote inspection through questionnaires and assessment of food safety documentation.

The spokesperson added: "The coffee shop was assessed in this way in April 2017 and was due for another assessment in April 2020, however this date fell during the first national Covid-19 lockdown. It is the date of the last physical inspection appears on the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) website."

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