A SHANKLIN hotel has been given a one-star food hygiene rating after inspectors found poor general hygiene in some areas and flaking paint in the kitchen.

The Ocean View Hotel, on Park Road, Shanklin, has fallen from its previous 'good' rating to 'major improvement necessary' following an inspection by the Isle of Wight Council's environmental health team in September.

Since the inspection though, the hotel has said it has rectified the issues and is confident of getting a five-star rating soon.

In their report, inspectors said the food hot holding unit must be repaired or replaced as it was not keeping temperature.

Stock rotation controls and monitoring points needed to be implemented as inspectors found two containers of fresh cream past their 'use by' date and a container of mouldy grapes.

Overall, inspectors said the general standard of hygiene was poor on the main oven top, plate heating units, inside the microwave and the handbasin.

The kitchen was found to have an area of paint flaking off the wall near to the hot food holding unit and areas of the tile flooring were damaged, making them 'difficult' to effectively clean and disinfect.

Inspectors also found the way kitchen staff were leaving food to defrost at room temperature on the edge of, or in, the sink, allowing bacteria to multiply on the warm outer surface of the food while the centre remained frozen.

A spokesperson for the Ocean View Hotel said: "Further to our recent inspection, all defects have now been completed and all works requested have been carried out.

"We are just waiting for a new floor covering, which has been ordered, to be fitted, and when this work is carried out, we will be requesting another visit and are confident of reinstating our five stars."