South Shields Subway branch awarded five stars for food hygiene after follow-up inspection

Subway, in Waterloo Vale, South Shields, was ordered to improve its standards after an inspection by South Tyneside Council in October 2019.

And after a follow-up visit last month, the store has now been rated five for its food hygiene after rectifying issues identified by inspectors on their first trip.

A spokeswoman for Subway confirmed that the company has clear procedures in place to ensure that stores meet strict food safety and hygiene standards.

Business owner Steve Wood, who has run the store at Waterloo Vale for 14 years, took immediate action following the October inspection, and has now “exceeded expectations” to gain the new rating, the spokeswoman added.

Mr Wood said: “We’re pleased that the FSA has recognised the high standards we as a business pride ourselves on.

“It is important that our valued guests can have complete trust in their Subway experience and we thank the local community for their continued support.”

When inspected, businesses are given a rating between zero and five to help customers make choices about where to eat and buy food.

Five means that hygiene standards are very good, four means hygiene stands are good, three means hygiene standards are generally satisfactory, two means some improvement is necessary and one means major improvement is necessary.

The lowest score, zero, means that urgent improvement is required.