GOVERNMENT figures have revealed that almost half of the restaurants and catering outlets in Bolton failed hygiene tests.

The statistics were revealed as part of a national campaign to improve food hygiene standards. Are we safe eating out and what is being done in the town to stop people suffering at the hands of dirty kitchens? David Crookes finds out.

IT appears that these days you can't sit down to eat your tea without seeing on the television the latest undercover reporter sneaking into a restaurant and using a secret camera to film mouse droppings on the floor and cooks with nowhere to wash their hands.

This week, a report showed that many business in Bolton were not taking as much care as they should to keep an eye on cleanliness in the workplace.

The official Government figures showed that nearly half of the town's restaurants and catering outlets failed hygiene tests.

You may be going out for a meal, but it seems in some cases you could get a lot more besides.

In one case, highlighted in Leigh last year, the cook at the Rich Palace takeaway in Chapel Street was found using his finger to test food he was preparing.

Environmental health inspectors discovered a waste bin infected with maggots and chopping boards used for both cooked and raw meat.

Of course, this was a particularly poor example of hygiene, and many of the businesses who were caught out by the Food Standards Agency were guilty of much less serious offences.

But the lapses are worrying to many of us who enjoy eating out, or grabbing a burger on the way back from the pub, or a bag of chips at lunch time.

National stories, like the cross contamination of meats which caused the death of 21 people from the deadly e.coli bacterium in Scotland in 1996, stick in the mind and just the thought of anything other than perfect cleanliness can make you feel sick.

Yet it appears similar dangerous practices are still occurring in kitchens across Bolton.

Officers from the Foods Standards Agency (FSA) visited 981 takeaways, catering companies and restaurants in Bolton to carry out hygiene examinations. A staggering 489 premises failed the tests.

Some restaurants had cracked windows, which can lead to bacteria contaminating food, overflowing dustbins, a lack of floor cleanliness and suspect staff hygiene. Meat in some cases was badly stored.

Yet customers would be sitting in clean and tidy main dining rooms in restaurants, drinking wine and eating delicious food, with no idea of what was going on behind the scenes.

In Bolton, dirty kitchens have resulted in "unacceptably high" levels of food poisoning, according to FSA chairman Sir John Krebs. He said the handling of food was a sensitive business.

work is also underway to reduce the risk of anyone becoming poorly after eating food made by someone else in Bolton.

The town's food control unit is acting fast to turn restaurants and takeaways around.

A spokesman said: "The identification of food hygiene infringements is only the start. What is important is the action food businesses take to put things right.

"The majority of food business proprietors are co-operative and willing to do whatever is necessary to operate their food businesses safely."

During routine inspections, food businesses are assessed against a range of hygiene criteria.

Inspectors look for structural defects which may prevent proper cleaning and, ultimately, become a breeding ground for bacteria.

They also study the habits of staff for evidence of poor food handling practices.

Many of the risks from staff involve them not washing their hands after they go to the toilet or when they switch from uncooked to cooked meat.

Any restaurateurs and takeaway owners found guilty of bad food practices are initially given an informal warning.

Later, if they fail to clean up their act, they are provided with written details of any infringements and given an explanation of what needs to be done to remedy a problem.

Follow-up visits are carried out to ensure the wrongs have been been put right. Owners can be prosecuted under the Food Safety Act 1990.

Cllr Guy Harkin, Bolton Council's executive member for environment, said: "It is the end result which is important. Time spent by officers in identifying food hygiene infringements will have long term benefits in ensuring that hygiene standards are raised and maintained.

"With more than 2,500 food businesses in the borough, clearly this will take some time."