22 disgusting pictures reveal true extent of problems inside Turkish restaurant with zero food hygiene rating

Amara in Wallasey Village was given a zero food hygiene rating in October.

The Turkish BBQ restaurant was told urgent improvement was necessary in all areas and given the worst possible rating. During their inspection, Wirral Council’s environment health team said they found slime, feta that was so off it was pink and smelled rancid, mouldy olives, and mouse dropping.

Through a Freedom of Information request, the LDRS can reveal the grim findings. Because of the conditions found, the business was served with a voluntary prohibition notice “due to the discovery of mouse activity in the kitchen” and given the worst scores in all three inspection areas.

According to the local authority, the photos show mouse droppings under and behind a chest freezer, on a storage shelf, on a lower stair, as well as droppings that fell from bags used to store food as they were removed. It was also reported that dirt and grime was found on the floor while a saladette unit was “dirty with grease and food debris”.

Elsewhere the photos show “grease deposits” and “dirty walls” while another showed the “filthy floor under [a] disused refrigerated unit used to house deep fat fryer”. The door seal and hinge of a fridge was “covered with grease and grime” while one photo shows “water and slime on the inside base of refrigerated unit in the kitchen”.

In their October report, Wirral Council officers said: “Your staff were not aware of the activity and were also not aware if you had sought the advice of a competent pest control contractor”. Inspectors said they could find no evidence of any pest control on site including bait boxes and monitoring devices.

Hummus was found to be stored incorrectly and several condiments had no indication of how long they had been opened. A container of olives and sun-dried tomatoes “was mouldy” and found to be kept at a too-warm temperature.

A container of prepared garnish “had mould spores evidence on the lid and some of the food inside such as the sliced tomato”. The restaurant was told the handling of this food was “not acceptable”.

The council also found a tub of feta cheese that “had gone pink and smelt rancid” while four prawns were placed on a “greasy and dirty” dish to defrost. Food in the freezer had “no indication of when they had been frozen and where they came from”.

Amara has previously been approached for comment about the report and the findings.