The new owners of a chicken shop in Swindon have followed their predecessors in getting a zero-star food hygiene rating. 

Fantasy Chicken on 13 Rodbourne Road was inspected last month and inspectors determined that urgent improvement was necessary. 

The business fell short of the required standards in hygienic food handling, cleanliness and condition of facilities and building and management of food safety. 

"Major improvement" was needed for the hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage.

"Major improvement" was also required for management of food safety which involves the system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future

improvement was also needed for cleanliness and condition of facilities and building (including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control) to enable good food hygiene. 

Fantasy Chicken Fastfood Ltd has not long been open after being incorporated into Companies House in February 28. The director of the company is listed as Sivakumar Visuavalingam. 

Under Mr Visuvalingam's directorship, it replaced the previous chicken shop operating from that building, Rodbourne Royal Fried Chicken, which was owned by Santhakumar Murugesu, and closed earlier in the same month on February 13. 

Swindon Advertiser: Rodbourne Royal Fried Chicken has been handed a zero-out-of-five food hygiene rating.The unexpected closure of Rodbourne Royal Fried Chicken came weeks after it was handed a zero food hygiene rating after a Foods Standards Agency inspection on Thursday, January 18. 

A sign taped on the store's closed shutters said "Shop under new management, being refurbished, opening soon!"

The store on 13 Rodbourne Road has been a chicken shop since the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when it was opened then as AFC Fried Chicken by Suman Pratheebeen. 

The businessman who also ran the Costcutter at Cheney Manor at the time says he had spotted a gap in the market for a fast-food option that caters for everyone in the area.

“I’m giving people good quality food at a low price so they can still get a takeout, which is what people need during the coronavirus crisis," he told the Adver at the time.

This business remained as AFC Fried Chicken until October 2023 when it transferred from Mr Pratheebeen to to Mr Murugesu and reopened as Rodbourne Royal Fried Chicken. 

The Adver has contacted Fantasy Chicken for comment.