"Rat droppings" were found on the floor behind a Bolton takeaway's chicken preparation area and "rancid food" was discovered in a freezer.

Chkn Stop, a takeaway restaurant on 428 Halliwell Road, scored "major improvement necessary" after it was inspected by the Food Standards Agency on July 15 and given a one-star food hygiene rating.

Among the “dirty” items found by the local authority in the takeaway was a “large chest freezer” containing “rancid food and meat juices which gave off a “strong offensive odour”.

The report found that meats, including cooked chicken tikka pieces were being stored above the legal limit of 8°C in a pizza topping chiller with an “internal leak”.

It also reported it was "disappointing" to see the management had deteriorated since the previous inspection, and that "some issues raised in the previous report had still not been addressed".

Other refrigerators were not operating at the 4°C temperature required to correctly store chilled food.

Pepperoni and high-risk food such as cooked chicken was being stored in the defective refrigerator.

(Image: Leah Collins)

The matter concerning the refrigerator’s temperature being too high was raised on the takeaway’s previous inspection, the report noted.

One of the most damning observations included in the nine-page report was the food agent’s discovery of “old rat droppings on the floor behind the chicken preparation area".

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Food storage was deemed inadequate by the takeaway, with “mouldy and foul smelling” vegetables found on the premises that were deemed “unfit for human consumption”.

Dirty, wet and incorrectly stored utensils were observed throughout the premises and “ready to eat foods” were stored “in a pool of water".

The report also discovered that the “kitchen hand wash” was “not in regular use” and the food handler was observed “handling raw chicken and failed to wash his hands prior to carrying out other kitchen duties".

At the time of the inspection, there was no soap available in the kitchen wash basin, and an antibacterial spray that “did not comply with British standards” was being used to clean surfaces.

A yellow chopping board, a microwave door, measuring jugs and cracked floor tiles were among the 11 items identified as “damaged or deteriorated and in need of attention".

The report did note that the takeaway "made the right decision to dispose of the chicken pieces" in a fridge.

Chkn Stop has been approached for comment.

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at leah.collins@newsquest.co.uk.