AN Oxford Kebab shop has been kicked off the shortlist for a national award after it emerged it had a two-star hygiene rating – but managers vow to come back fighting.

Cowley Road’s Bodrum Kebab shop was shortlisted, along with 12 other eateries in the UK, for the ‘best takeaway’ category in the seventh annual British Kebab Awards.

But, after organisers at the awards found out the hygiene rating, the kebab shop was disqualified from the competition.

Last week the Oxford Mail revealed that the eatery had been left with a two-score rating by inspectors who slammed the shop over the butchering of chickens in its kitchen.

READ THE REPORT HERE

But this is thought to be an improvement on the one-star it was awarded in 2017, and carried through until at least September 2018.

They were given the new score of two stars in November 2018.

Hasan Asam, the manager at the Cowley Road business, said he was shocked to hear that they were no longer competing for the best takeaway in the UK – as he hadn’t been told.

He said: “We will definitely come back fighting.

“We will always be nominated for the award.

“It is nice to be appreciated, but we will definitely be nominated again.”

A spokesperson at the British Kebab Awards contacted the paper to explain that Bodrum Kebab had been kicked out of the awards.

He said the restaurant should have never been on the list, blaming it on nobody checking the scores.

TO SEE THE LIST OF RECENTLY INSPECTED BUSINESSES, CLICK HERE

He explained that the usual process was to see what each restaurant had been awarded by hygiene inspectors, before announcing the shortlist, and that the rules say entrants must have at least four stars out of a possible five.

The spokesperson said: “We looked into it. But it is an automatic withdrawal.

“You have to have at least four stars to be in the competition.”

Mr Asam said: “We are going to upgrade the things that went wrong.

“We do have disagreements with the council, but ultimately we have to respect their decision.

“We have to call the council back so hopefully things will improve.

“People in Oxford, the locals, they know where to eat.

“When you come in you will see it is full of fresh meat, they are fresh.”

Another member of staff added: “Honestly this kebab is the best in Oxford and everyone knows it.”

The awards spokesperson said: “Another issue we realised when we realised the shortlist is that we missed off Ahmed Bar BQ Bar’ which is up for Kebab Van of the Year.”

The kebab van parks on Oxford High Street, typically near Patisserie Valerie.