A HAMPSHIRE MP has demanded that Hampshire council bosses clamp down on poor hygiene in school kitchens.

Liberal Democrat Sandra Gidley accused county council leader Ken Thornber of complacency in his response to a Daily Echo investigation which revealed the shocking health reports highlighting cases where slug trails and mice droppings had been found.

Health inspectors criticised standards in more than 40 schools across Southampton and Hampshire.

Mrs Gidley, MP for Romsey, said Cllr Thornber was "complacent in the extreme" for suggesting the problems should be dealt with in the school holidays when they would cause less disruption."It is simply not good enough," she said.

"The truth of the matter is that the kitchens should not have been allowed to reach such a state in the first place.

"Peeling paint, walls in poor state of repair and dirty areas are faults that should not have been allowed to develop. The local education authority should be paying more attention to basic kitchen hygiene."

Cllr Thornber defended the decision to carry out heavy cleaning work during holidays and challenged the MP to inspect school kitchens for herself.

He said: "I don't think she understands the severity with which we view any lapse in food hygiene. When we go in for a deep clean it's so thorough it takes the equipment out for two days. Some of the work is carried out in term time but it would not be possible to carry out this level of cleaning when the children are present.

"She accuses me of complacency but I would be absolutely mortified if ever there were a case of even mild food poisoning in our schools.

"We are not complacent and I would like to issue Sandra Gidley with an invitation: please come to our schools and we will show you our kitchens and you can see for yourself how high the standards are."

Hampshire County Council insisted its kitchen staff undergo continuous food safety training and that additional training had been given in the instances referred to.

Gavin Derrick in charge of food safety at Hampshire County Council, said there was no risk of cross-contamination and inspectors were simply recommending better practice.

The council said any issues raised in the environmental health reports had either already been dealt with or were scheduled to be dealt with.

Council bosses also stressed that the majority of its 530 schools had been given a clean bill of health.