A NEW study has ranked Swindon among the worst areas in the UK for food hygiene ratings among takeaways and sandwich shops.

Every business that serves takeaway food is awarded with a hygiene rating by the local authority between 0 (urgent improvement necessary) and 5 (very good).

Out of a total of 355 council areas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland is subject to a different rating system), Swindon had the 15th highest percentage of takeaways with a poor rating of 0, 1 or 2.

The study found that 27.8 per cent of the town’s 108 rated businesses required improvement.

Newham was the worst ranking council district, with 49.6 per cent of businesses rated 2 or below and North Devon was the best, with 100 per cent scoring 4 or 5.

Food establishments in Wales and Northern Ireland are required to clearly display the rating that they receive under the scheme, with England to follow suit from 2019.

Linda Firth, a director at LoveMyVouchers.co.uk, which carried out the research, said: “The study was conducted to raise awareness about the importance of food hygiene ratings, as they are not always obvious for takeaways, particularly in England.

"Many of the top food ordering websites do not currently display the ratings, so customers need to be mindful of this when placing an order.”