An Indian restaurant owner has boosted cleanliness at his business after uncovered food was found being kept in a "dirty" shed riddled with cobwebs.

Tandoori Nite in Station Road, Birchington, was given a damning inspection report by an environmental health officer (EHO) after concerns were raised about hygiene.

Owner Anwar Ali was left "embarrassed" after his business was slapped with a rating of 'one' - the second-lowest that can be given - and says standards slipped due to a staff shortage.

But the restaurant has since been given the highest rating of a 'five' after a Thanet District Council EHO revisited and found the workers had made drastic improvements.

Mr Ali said: "I was embarrassed we got a ‘one’ as I was expecting a ‘three’ or ‘four’ but we have promised we will keep up with [food hygiene] now.

"[An EHO] came back to make sure it was up to their standards and we got a ‘five’ so we are happy actually.

"We had to do painting and cleaning as they didn’t say much about the food, so it was just a little bit here and there, which was a success.

"The ceiling of this shed was dirty with debris, cobwebs and shedding particles that could easily fall into the food..."

Tandoori Nite - which was launched in the village 31 years ago - was given the 'one' hygiene rating back in September - but the findings have only just been made public.

An EHO wrote: "At the time of inspection, food was being stored in the large outdoor shed without being covered.

"The ceiling of this shed was dirty with debris, cobwebs and shedding particles that could easily fall into the food that was openly being left to cool on top of a chest freezer.

"The law says that you must protect food at all times against the risk of contamination.

"This outside unit is not suitable for open foods or cooked foods and no food should be left uncovered and unsupervised.

"Foods being left to cool following cooking should be covered and left in a suitable area of the business that is clean and can be checked by members of staff at regular intervals."

An inspector also found a large food storage room was "not clean" or "suitable for storing open foods or any food that may be exposed to damage or attract pests".

They added: "The area is disorganised with food and other items piled up with old cardboard and other items, pallets and furniture meaning that it is not possible to clean or to check for signs of pests within the unit.

"The unit is not fully secure with some gaps where pests could gain entry. The ceilings are not clean and have spiders' webs and other debris that could contaminate food that is open.

"The smaller unit which is a garden shed is totally unsuitable as a food room and should not be used to store food items.

"There was also an accumulation of food and other rubbish and debris in the outside area around the food storage units, some food debris showed signs that pests had been in the area and the food waste was attracting rodents."

Concerns were also raised about an unsuitable cleaning product as it was not compliant with standards to remove harmful bacteria from food surfaces.

Bubbling and peeling paint on the main kitchen's ceiling was discovered, which was "shedding and dropping into the food rooms".

Mr Ali was told to repair it and ensure there was no damage.

The EHO also found hand-washing facilities were "not adequate" in the main kitchen and food handling area as there was no soap or hand-drying materials.

"We slacked it off and it was our fault..."

But it has since been rated a 'five', following a reinspection by TDC on November 10.

Mr Ali says the vegetables which were being stored in the shed had been removed - along with the cobwebs.

"Everything was replaced," he said. "Whatever they requested, we did it.

"We slacked it off and it was our fault so I have no complaints about the food hygiene officers.

"After Covid, we didn’t have enough staff so we have employed one more person so we can keep up to date with [hygiene standards].

"We have never had a ‘one’. In our history, we went down to a ‘three’ once. We will keep it on track to save the business."