A popular Indian restaurant is celebrating a turnaround in fortune after improving on its one-rating for food hygiene.

The Spice Hut, at the junction of Brewer Street and Wheeler Street in Maidstone, was given the second-lowest rating possible after an inspector visited in September last year.

At the time, owner Tipu Chowdhury, who has been running the restaurant and takeaway since it opened 23 years ago, branded the inspection "very harsh".

But now, eight months on, it has turned things around and received a four-rating after a recent inspection.

"We're very pleased with the new score," Mr Chowdhury said.

"We've always said the original rating was harsh and we are a clean restaurant and the inspector even told us we could have been given a five.

"We look forward to continuing to welcome people at the restaurant with our new and improved rating."

The restaurant was criticised for having a dirty wash area and because its food safety management plan was locked away in the owner’s office.

Mr Chowdhury explained he was at a funeral in Birmingham and staff were unable to get the correct documents from his office.

He said: “There were a lot of little things brought up which I thought were unfair and very harsh.

“It wasn’t clear the wash area, which was slightly dirty, was completely separate from the kitchen, and the management system was in my office which I asked the inspector to wait until I returned to show her.”

Mr Chowdhury says he made all the recommended changes within two weeks but waited to apply for a re-score while he carried out improvements to the kitchen.

He added: “We changed everything that was asked and had the inspector back the following month.

“She visited and said she was happy with everything and we would go back to a high rating once we applied for a re-score.”

The original damning report had raised concerns about the condition of the kitchen, including mouldy sealant around a sink, which had been brought up at a previous inspection.

It also mentioned damaged floor and wall tiles and a shelf being used to hold the microwave being covered with old and dirty tape.

It added: “You must make sure the food management system and records are kept where it is available for staff at any time.”