A town-centre KFC has been handed a low food hygiene rating.

The fast-food chain in Week Street, Maidstone, has been told it needs to improve.

It was visited by inspectors in the middle of September and given a two out of five rating for food hygiene.

In recent years the site has been plagued by anti-social behaviour and violence, but now it is struggling with the cleanliness of its facilities and building.

Takeaways, supermarkets, cafés and restaurants are rated from zero to five in three categories – hygienic food handling, cleanliness and conditions of facilitiles and building, and management of food safety.

KFC was rated as "improvement necessary" for cleanliness and conditions of facilities and buildings, which includes the likes of ventilation, hand-washing facilities and pest control.

Its management of food safety was "generally satisfactory", while the store's hygienic food handling was rated as "very good".

'The Colonel has the highest of standards...'

It is the lowest rated KFC restaurant in the town.

A KFC spokesman said: “The Colonel has the highest of standards and since this result, the restaurant team has been working really hard to get things back up to scratch.

"We’re in touch with the EHO to arrange a follow-up inspection, and feel confident we’ll be getting a new, higher score, soon.”