Bowling alley bosses have blamed a damning hygiene report on a change in staff after food a month out of date was discovered by an inspector.

A dirty cooker and microwaves were also found during the unannounced visit to Wincheap’s Canterbury Leisure - a venue popular for children’s birthday parties.

So poor were the findings that the complex, which also offers crazy golf and laser tag, was given a one-star rating - the lowest possible, meaning major improvement is necessary.

But the owners of the business have blamed a “temporary slip in standards” following the loss of two long-term employees.

The site was issued its score after the visit on August 20, with a Canterbury City Council inspector writing: “Salad was found that expired on August 2, along with cheese from August 14, bacon from August 16 and salami from July 20.

“Foods prepared were not dated. You must discard out-of-date food and label prepared food.”

Ordering the business to clean up its act, the inspector noted dirt under equipment and between the floors and walls in the kitchen and store areas.

Flooring was damaged, exposing hard-to-clean concrete, and the cooker and microwaves were dirty, as was the area under the pizza ovens.

Freezer seals were also discovered to be mouldy.

Furthermore, the inspector could find no records of staff food safety training, or records of probe temperatures, pest control or fridge temperatures.

Salad was also being washed in a hand basin without using a colander.

Canterbury Leisure bosses say the issues arose while training new staff, but assure improvements have now been made.

A spokesman said: “The temporary slip in standards before the inspection was primarily due to a recent transition in the team.

“A couple of our long-term staff members, who had been with us throughout university, had recently moved on, and we were in the process of training new team members to fill their roles.

“At the same time, we were switching from a paper-based food hygiene management system to a new app-based system.

“Balancing these changes presented some initial challenges, but we have since completed the transition and training to ensure our standards remain high.”

The spokesman added the business has worked hard to address each area of concern.

“Our priority remains to uphold and exceed the standards required to ensure the safety and well-being of our customers and staff,” he said.

“To that end, we have successfully introduced a digital food safety app as a new management tool, which has significantly strengthened our approach to food safety and due diligence.

“We have also scheduled and implemented regular deep-cleans across our premises to maintain a high standard of cleanliness and updated our stock management processes to prevent any recurrence of out-of-date items.

“We have also completed comprehensive training on food hygiene and safety for all staff, ensuring everyone is up-to-date with certification and best practices.

“We’re confident that these actions demonstrate our commitment to maintaining the highest standards.”