A POPULAR Isle of Wight pub has been hit with a one-star food hygiene rating after health inspectors found flies in its dirty kitchen, food past their ‘use by’ dates, and the general standard of hygiene to be poor.

Following a visit to the Crab and Lobster Inn, on Forelands Field Road in Bembridge on August 20, Isle of Wight Council health inspectors deemed the site in need of major improvement.

They found some items in the walk-in chiller and fridges were not date labelled, and multiple food items were found past their ‘use by’ date, including muscles, prawns and meat.

Inspectors also discovered various food items were not covered, presenting a risk of contamination.

At the time of inspection, the general standard of hygiene was poor, the dirty kitchen required a full deep clean, and a white chopping board being used for sandwich preparation was found dirty and badly scored.

They also found the insectocutor unit was not operating, a large number of flies were in the kitchen, and areas of the ceiling were in very poor condition, with paint peeling above food preparation areas.

Other problems inspectors noted include water leaking from the inside of the fridge and through the door onto the kitchen floor, rusty, deteriorating racking in the walk-in chiller, and the under-counter fridge seal was split.

A spokesperson for the Crab and Lobster Inn told the County Press: “It goes without saying that we are all beyond disappointed with the findings.

“On this occasion, we have fallen way below our expected standards.

“Rather than blame circumstances and individuals, we have taken the decision to accept responsibility in its entirety and learn from this situation as a collective.

“With immediate effect, we undertook the necessary steps to remedy the issues outlined.

“The inspector re-visited us on September 26 and was satisfied with the steps we have taken, and the improvements made.

“We will therefore be requesting an official re-visit to re-score the business.

“We have introduced several new processes and measures that will support and enable our management and team to achieve the highest standards possible moving forwards.

“A report like this is damaging to any business, and in all honesty, it is embarrassing for everyone involved.

“Rest assured, our standards are now as high as possible, and lessons have been learnt.”