A Watford restaurant inspectors found had failed to improve amid three 1/5 hygiene ratings will face “enforcement action”.

Hanako in High Street was told "major improvement" is necessary after being given the second lowest possible Food Standards Agency rating after an August 3 inspection.

It had also picked up the same 1/5 rating after inspections on January 26, this year, and May 17, last year.

Deputy Watford mayor councillor Aga Dychton said: “As a result of a failure to improve standards despite support from Environmental Health officers the council have commenced enforcement action.

“Due to legal restrictions we cannot give further information at this time, but the public can be assured that there is no imminent risk to public health, and officers will continue to work with the business to ensure that conditions are improving and that issues found at the last inspection are rectified.”

On Saturday (September 9), after the most recent rating was published, a spokesperson for the Japanese restaurant said that labelling had been the main problem, as the inspector took issue with the dating system.

Watford Observer: Hanako, in Watford High Street.Hanako, in Watford High Street. (Image: Google Street View)

He added that a plan to improve is currently in the works, but it had been disrupted as Hanako suffered a break-in on August 27 amid a “horrible week” for the eatery.

The August 3 inspection found that despite the 'hygienic food handling' and 'cleanliness and condition of facilities and building' categories being found ‘generally satisfactory’, Hanako was a 1/5 overall because of the 'management of food safety' category.

The Watford Observer has requested a copy of the full report. 

In January, as in the most recent report, major improvement was needed in terms of ‘management of food safety’.

Both hygienic food handling and cleanliness and condition of facilities and building were given the ‘improvement necessary’ rating at that time.

The May 2022 inspection found the cleanliness of the facilities to be ‘good’ but the hygienic food handling needed ‘improvement’, while the management of food safety required ‘major improvement’.