THE RISK of wire wool making its way into food, dirty floors and staff not washing their hands have given hygiene inspectors 'serious concerns' about a Rose Hill Chinese Takeaway.

House of Tim was handed a one-star rating by city council inspectors, who also revealed management could face a fine or imprisonment unless it made improvements by February 16.

The council's environmental health officers issued the restaurant with Hygiene Improvement notices after failing to take on advice from previous visits.

But manager Kelly Zhao said improvements had been made and was confident of a higher rating next month.

A damning report issued following last month's inspection revealed no evidence staff had been trained in food safety at all.

The inspector wrote: "I have serious concerns about the management of the food business operation, the lack of training and risk of cross contamination.

"Despite a previous inspection and advice, there appears to be little improvement."

It added: "Wire wool, in very poor condition was found in the sink close to the cooking area.

"Materials in such poor condition can lead to physical contamination of food - and historically such a complaint was made from a customer who found physical contamination in a take away meal delivered from your premises.

"A probe thermometer was available and staff demonstrated how it was cleaned using paper - this is not a suitable way to clean the probe and introduces the risk of cross contamination."

The council has given the restaurant's management until February 16 to implement a proper food safety management system and show that food handlers are properly trained.

Failure to comply with the notices could mean imprisonment of up to two years.

The state of the kitchen and takeaway itself was also criticised with rice being found in cracks in the floors, a freezer lid needing to be taped shut and a damaged wall.

The inspector continued: "I am concerned about the condition of the floor both for health and safety and food safety issues.

"There appeared to be no system in place for clearing water from the floor adequately - floor tiles were missing creating a void where stagnant water had accumulated.

"The missing tiles also pose a trip risk."

They added: "The floor surfaces were not clean, in particular floor wall joints where rice and accumulations were evident."

The takeaway scored 'Poor' in the Food Hygiene and Safety category and 'Fair' when it came to Structural Compliance but 'Little' in Confidence in Management.

Manager Kelly Zhao said: “We were very disappointed with the one-star rating and we are trying our best to reach the highest hygiene standards possible.

“Around 90 per cent of it was structural problems and we have repainted the rooms and replaced one of the door handles on the fridge that we needed to do.

“When they revisit next month we are hoping for a higher rating.”