Picture: Blackpool CouncilPicture: Blackpool Council
Picture: Blackpool Council

Inside the Metropole Hotel in Blackpool - which is housing asylum seekers - after damning food hygiene report

These are the pictures snapped inside the Metropole Hotel in Blackpool, which was given a dismal one-out-of-five food hygiene rating.

The Britannia-owned Victoria venue - the only hotel in the resort to be on the seaward side of the Prom – has been used to house several hundred Afghan asylum seekers since late September.

Just weeks before they arrived by coach, bosses were ordered to improve standards after a visit by council inspectors.

They found multiple breaches of food safety and hygiene regulations.

The kitchen was dirty, with grime found on the floors, doors, wash basins, stairs and other areas.

Food debris was found strewn on the stairs, on the fridge, and inside cutlery drawers.

There was build-up of carbon on the outside of the cooking pans, an accumulation of old dough inside the mixer, and meat residue found on a 'clean' meat slicer, putting guests at risk of cross-contamination.

The report also found that various taps in the ladies' toilets were loose and needed securing, that a gaming machine that was being taken apart for maintenance had not been cordoned off, and that a third floor window had a crack in it and needed replacing.

Releasing the images this morning, a council spokeswoman said: "Since that report we have revisited the premises and all hygiene improvement notices that were served have been complied with, and we will be resinspecting the premises soon."

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