The UK towns with the dirtiest takeaways have been revealed, and one Greater Manchester area has taken the top spot with a shocking number of unclean establishments.
A new study by cleaning experts Vacuum Wars looked at the Food Hygiene Ratings of takeaways around the country and identified the percentage that have a rating of three (satisfactory) or lower.
The results showed that Wigan in Greater Manchester topped the list, with 51.62% of its takeaways (159 out of 308) scoring three or less.
Blaenau Gwent in Wales came in second, with 48.41% of its takeaways (41 out of 84) meeting the standard. Walsall in the West Midlands ranked third, with 45.85% of its takeaways (138 out of 301) scoring three or less.
Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales took fourth place, with 43.58% of its takeaways (112 out of 257) achieving a rating of three or less. Caerphilly in Wales rounded out the top five, with 41.22% of its takeaways (80 out of 190) scoring three or less.
The cleanest area is North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, with a pristine record where every single one of its 75 takeaways earned a rating denoting “Good” or better – a unique achievement across the board.
Falkirk, Scotland, sits comfortably at second followed closely by South Ayrshire as the third, boasting impressive clean takeaway rates of 99.21% and 99.15%, respectively.
Scotland emerged as the champion of takeaway hygiene, leading the entire UK region with a sterling average; 88.7% of Scottish takeaways passed inspection according to the Scottish Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, equating to 4,497 out of a pool of 5,070.
Each local authority’s takeaways were sifted from the broader food establishment data using the tag “Takeaway/sandwich shop”.
To standardise diverse rating systems and gauge a restaurant’s quality, a “Satisfactory” rating that mirrors a three rating on the Food Hygiene Rating System was included.
The subsequent assessment involved calculating the proportion of takeaways in each local authority that met or exceeded the “Satisfactory” or “Pass” benchmark, set against the total number of rated takeaways within that jurisdiction.
In an effort to maintain fairness in the rankings, local authorities featuring fewer than 25 outlets classified as takeaways, as well as those lacking publicly available ratings, were excluded from the analysis to prevent distorted outcomes.
Christopher White, CEO of Vacuum Wars, said: “The findings highlight the varying standards of food hygiene across different regions, indicating that some areas, such as those in Scotland, maintain exceptionally clean practices while others, such as in Wales, which feature four entries in the top ten, show room for improvement.
“A key step towards improvement could be to provide targeted training and resources to help businesses, particularly those in underperforming areas, meet the highest levels of hygiene.”