A POPULAR Old Town fishmongers has been given a zero out of five hygiene rating after being found to require significant improvement in two of the three areas inspected.

The Lobster Pot Fishmongers, based in Wood Street Food Hall, received the rating from the Food Standards Agency on September 5.

Inspectors found that it required major improvement in hygienic food handling, and urgent improvement in management of food safety.

Simon Rhodes, the owner of the business, said that he felt the rating was disproportionate, identifying breaches in labelling and the knowledge of allergen rules by a new employee, who was in training at the time, as the cause.

The Four Seasons Meat Company, which runs the butchers in the same premises, was not found to have the same problems. In a separate inspection conducted on September 22, it was given a hygiene rating of five.

Mr Rhodes said: “Firstly, we are committed to providing safe food to our customers, and there have been no complaints made to the council in the seven years we have been fishmongers.

“Unfortunately, the visit occurred during a period where a member of staff had just joined us and was undergoing training, and so we were unable to fulfil all the necessary requirements.

“We failed on some complex labelling and allergen rules on a few products which had been frozen and these have now been rectified.

“We have been in business for seven years and have always received a high score.Our customers know that we only stock the freshest quality fish and grocery products.”