STAFF at a popular Indian restaurant in Newport have apologised to customers, after an environmental health inspection resulted in a zero star hygiene rating.

Tamarind Indian Restaurant, Upper St James' Street, Newport, received the rating after an inspection on March 8.

The zero star rating means that urgent improvement is necessary.

In all areas — 'hygienic food handling', 'cleanliness and condition of facilities and building', and 'management of food safety' — the inspectors found that major improvement was necessary.

Tamarind's previous rating, following an inspection in 2016, was four stars, and before that, after an inspection in 2014, the restaurant was given five stars.

Managers at the restaurant have spoken out and publicly apologised to their customers, promising to bring standards back up.

A spokesperson for Tamarind said: "We are extremely disappointed to have fallen short of our own usually high standards on this occasion.

"Following the inspection, we took immediate action to address the matters raised by the environmental health officer and in addition have taken this opportunity to carry out a refurbishment of our kitchen going above and beyond the environmental health officer's requirements.

"The environmental health staff have since visited the site twice and are satisfied that all urgent matters have been resolved, and we have now submitted a request for a formal reinspection, which we are sure will reinstate our historically high levels of scoring.

"We apologise to our customers for any concern this has caused."