A RESTAURANT in High Street was told its food hygiene standards required ‘major improvement’ the day before it shut its doors for good.

Italian restaurant Vita Bella had opened at the premises near the Bull Ring – formerly occupied by Cheshire Bar and Grill, Zitano and Tiano – from April before its abrupt closure on September 6.

The previous day, September 5, an inspector from the Food Standards Agency had visited to assess the hygiene of the kitchen, giving Vita Bella the second-worst rating of ‘1’.

The report, obtained by the Guardian through the Freedom of Information Act, voices concerns in areas including cleanliness, food preparation and handling, and allergen information.

Out-of-date fresh tuna and Mortadella cured meat was also found ready for use, in spite of use-by dates of August 24 and 23, respectively.

The inspector said: “It was also noted that a large number of high-risk foods prepared on the premises were not labelled with a durability date.

“I understood from discussion with [the] chef, however, that as part of your in-house procedures such items should be labelled with a use by date.

They added: “The only wash hand basin available for use by food handlers was located in the entrance of the kitchen.

“In my opinion this was not easily accessible for use during busy service periods by staff working in the pizza preparation area.”

A risk of cross-contamination was highlighted, with raw meat stored above and next to cooked foods, such as lasagne. Ready to eat crayfish was also being stored in the raw meat fridge.

Meanwhile, the wash hand basin at the bar ‘did not appear to be in regular use’, and the condition of the stone pizza oven was criticised.

The report said: “The painted/plaster surface of the stone pizza oven was in poor condition where it was loose and flaking/crumbling away. The surface of the steps near the entrance to the pizza area was damaged and lifting.

“The bare chipboard shelf in the wash up area was not suitable for use as it cannot be effectively cleaned.

“A number of seals on the door of refrigeration/freezer units were damaged, as discussed.”

There was also advice to keep a record of fridge temperatures, complete training in providing accurate allergen information, and complete staff training records.

The restaurant was closed on Thursday, September 6, the day after the inspector's visit, with a note on the door suggesting it had been repossessed.