An Indian restaurant with a one hygiene rating was ‘dirty with grease,' a report has said.

Mumbai Kitchen in Swaythling was given the new rating following an inspection on June 26.

This is a drop from the restaurant’s previous ‘good’ rating, awarded in 2018.

Inspectors found that inside the High Road restaurant, the hot cupboard used to hold poppadoms was ‘dirty with grease’.

The metal cooking pans on the hob in the kitchen were also found to not be clean.

Staff were told to ‘thoroughly clean the cooking pans to minimise any risk of contamination of food’.

Inspectors confirmed that high risk food was being cooked with no temperature or visual checks made.

Staff were told food which is being cooked or reheated and is intended to be sold hot, must be held at or above 63C.

It was also found that cooked rice is cooled after cooking at room temperature for approximately four and a half hours.

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Inspectors said: “To prevent toxins forming in the cooked rice, you should either keep it hot (above 63C) or cool it as quickly as possible and store it in the refrigerator at or below 8C prior to being reheated for sale.”

The report went on to detail how the equipment and utensils used for food in the kitchen were not being disinfected.

Cardboard was found on the floor of the restaurant’s storeroom.

This was not kept clean and ‘harboured dirt and bacteria’.

It was noted that the toilet opened directly into the rear preparation room where food is handled.

Staff were told toilets must not open directly into a room where food is handled and prepared.

They were instructed to make arrangements not to use this room for food handling, or to install a lobby between the toilet and the food room.

The rear storeroom was not ‘adequately proofed’ against rodent entry.

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Inspectors said: “Ensure the gap to the rear door and holes around pipes are filled or covered with a solid, durable material in order to minimise pest entry points into food preparation and storage areas.”

According to the Food Standards Agency’s website, the management of food safety required major improvement.

It was found that the cleanliness and condition of facilities and the building were ‘generally satisfactory’.

The hygienic handling of food was also found to be ‘generally satisfactory’.

The Daily Echo has contacted Mumbai Kitchen for a response.