A newly released report has revealed why a Watford chicken shop received a 1/5 food hygiene rating for the second time in two years.

The borough council released the report following a Freedom of Information request after inspectors said the takeaway needed “major improvement” when they visited in November 2023.

An Environmental Health Officer said they were “very concerned” with the hygiene practices seen during the inspection, just months after the takeaway was rated 5/5 in April.

Update: After a further inspection on April 30, the rating for Max Peri Peri was increased to a 4/5

The officer found that cooked chicken was being held at 54C, well below the legal minimum temperature of 63C.

According to the report, the staff’s knowledge of food hygiene was “inadequate", they did not regularly wash their hands, and attempted to wash their hands with gloves on after handling raw chicken.

Takeaway staff also failed to disinfect the work surfaces used to wash and coat the chicken, and when prompted, did not leave the cleaning chemicals on the surface for long enough to properly sanitise it.

Watford Observer: Max Peri Peri pictured in 2020.Max Peri Peri pictured in 2020. (Image: Google Maps)

The chest freezers and walk-in refrigerator seals were not clean, while frozen burgers and chicken were stored without labelling to ensure the food was in date.

The report also details several hygiene issues regarding the building’s furnishings, such as the two doors in the basement were ill fitting, which could allow pests access to the premises.

The basement’s ceiling was judged unsuitable for a food room and the officer ordered for the basement door to be cleaned of grease and repainted as it was in a “poor state of repair.”

The takeaway was given two months to fix the structural issues and three months for at least one staff member to receive Level 2 food hygiene training.

Max Peri Peri first received a 1/5 rating upon inspection in June 2022, but managed to raise standards to 5/5 less than a year later.

Max Peri Peri did not respond to requests for comment.