The owner of a Wirral restaurant is ‘frustrated’ after a disgraced council officer issued a hygiene rating score of four without even visiting the premises.
Alan Tuohey, co-owner of the Refreshment Rooms, in Rock Ferry, said the rating was “undermining”, as the restaurant has since been awarded with five stars. Mark Davies, an environmental health officer (EHO) with Wirral Borough Council, was caught out when Alan and co-owner, Ian Joyce, contacted the council to query the rating they received following a visit Mr Davies claimed to have made in August 2018.
It transpired that the chef whose signature appeared on the form had been off the day of the alleged visit. Alan told the ECHO: “It was confusing because we couldn’t remember having a visit. We questioned the fact that they only gave us four stars because we work hard and invest a lot into making sure that our hygiene is good.”
