A 'MAJOR improvement necessary' food hygiene rating has been slapped on The George Hotel and Beach Club following an inspection by the Isle of Wight Council.

The popular Yarmouth hotspot was inspected in September by a member of the council's environmental health team, which found eight problems needing immediate attention.

Inspectors found issues with stock rotation and control, with two systems in place instead of one, and a pack of sausages past its use by date.

Also, daily diary sheets had not been completed to monitor temperatures in the past four days and there was a lack of allergen information.

The cleanliness of the kitchen was also raised as an issue, with hand contact surfaces, areas of the walk-in chiller, around the waste bin and the underneath of shelves in the kitchen storage unit dirty, with old food debris found in areas.

There was a risk of cross-contamination in the walk-in chiller, where raw chicken was being stored next to an open container of lettuce,.

The head chef said the meat had been incorrectly stored.

Food was also being stored in containers on the floor of the walk-in chiller, which created a risk of contamination.

Inspectors asked that the raw vacuum packer be moved away from the cooked vacuum packer.

Filters were missing from the kitchen ventilation unit's extraction canopy, which was said to be being cleaned; parts of the floor were split, damaged or coming away from the walls, with the potential to trap dirt; and seals to fridges were split and needed replacing.

A wash handbasin needed to be installed that would be readily accessible for food handlers but the one that was being used was obstructed from use with kitchen utensils in the basin, rendering it unavailable.

Overall, it scored 50 out of a possible 60, which lead to a one out of five rating.

The George has been contacted for a comment.