MILK for sale at the Oxford branch of budget chain Poundland had to be binned after hygiene inspectors found customers were being put at risk.

The Templars Retail Park store was given a rating of just one star, meaning 'major improvement necessary' when it was visited by members of Oxford City Council's health team last month.

During the surprise visit on June 10, inspectors looked at temperature records from a fridge used to display milk and found it was not meeting the minimum legal requirement to ensure customer safety.

A report said: "The temperature of the milk fridge was 11C. This must be maintained at 8C or lower.

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"This food may have been out of temperature for a long period and you should carefully consider what you do with it."

A note after this comment indicated the milk was subsequently disposed of.

The Food Standards Agency website advises businesses to keep chilled products at that temperature as the best way to 'slow down bacteria growth'.

It adds: "Most harmful bacteria will grow at temperatures above 8°C and below 63°C – this is known as the ‘Danger Zone’ for microbial growth."

The inspection also raised concerns about how often checks were being carried out, stating: "Although there was a daily check book many of the entries were blank.

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"You should ensure all entries are made."

It added: "The last temperature for the milk fridge was recorded 'am' the day before the inspection and was recorded at 8.6C.

"No record for June 8 but was recorded at 9C on June 7.

"The system states no higher than 5C."

The report urged Poundland staff to also ensure the temperature of the back up fridge was checked.

More of the latest hygiene results for Oxfordshire

Food hygiene and safety procedures were judged as satisfactory, as was structural compliance, meaning the cleanliness and condition of the building.

Inspectors, however, found there was 'improvement necessary' when it came to their confidence in management.

A Poundland spokesperson said:“We are aware and will be looking at the report to understand why. 

Overall Poundland has an average rating of just under 5 – excellent – right across the country.  We take high store standards seriously.”

The budget chain, started in 1990, has around 850 stores in the UK and Ireland.

Its website states: "We offer thousands of quality products in store with over 1,000 well-known brands in key categories such as food and drink, health and beauty, household, gardening, DIY, Pet, Stationery, Books, DVDs and Toys."