A BRADFORD on Avon cafe could face temporary closure if safety improvements aren’t implemented after it failed a recent food and hygiene inspection following reports of a rat outbreak.

The Cottage Co-operative Cafe in Weavers Walk had the inspection at the end of March and, through a Freedom of Information request, it was found that a complaint had been made to Wiltshire Council by a customer who overheard a conversation among staff about rats on the premises.

Following the inspection, the cafe was rated zero in the National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme – the lowest possible grade handed out by inspectors.

In The report, it stated said that Guy Sharp, senior environment health officer, found rat activity in the main kitchen and while the cafe holds a contract with pest controllers Rentokil, inadequate work was being done to ensure the outbreak didn’t spread.

It is believed that the source of rats was from a broken drain outside the customer toilet.

Mr Sharp said in the report: “Unfortunately the inspection revealed some major areas of non-compliance with the food hygiene regulations and more effort is required to prevent a further fall in standards.”

The cafe, which specialises in vegetarian and vegan food, was also found to put the safety of the public at risk by failing to manage “food preparation practices, cleaning and good structural standards.”

The condition of cooking equipment such as chopping boards and the need of a hot water supply in the customer toilet were also found to be in a deteriorated state.

The cafe will now be subject to more visits by inspectors over the forthcoming weeks to ensure that adequate improvements are being made.

If the Food Standards Agency believes there is an imminent risk to health of customers, it could enforce a closure notice.

Alan Hinds, who owns the cafe, was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.