A thatched-roof pub in an Oxfordshire town centre has received a damning food hygiene rating.

The Six Bells in Thame's High Street is a picturesque watering hole with an eye-catching thatched roof.

It is described by the pub team as “the quintessential country pub in Thame” and features roaring fires, a garden, real ale on tap and pub food in the in-house restaurant.

Yet when the drinking spot owned by Fuller's was visited by South Oxfordshire District Council’s Environmental Health team on Monday, August 19, inspectors were left far from impressed.

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Inside the country pub in Thame.Inside the country pub in Thame. (Image: Fuller's)

Stating that 'major improvement' was necessary, the pub was slapped with a one-out-of-five hygiene rating.

One key issue that the report outlined was the management of food safety which in itself required 'major improvement'.

This refers to having a system or checks in place to ensure that the food sold or served is safe to eat as well as if there is evidence that staff know about food safety.

It also concerns whether or not the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future.

The cleanliness and condition of the facilities and the building also raised issues with inspectors stating that improvement was also 'necessary' in this regard.

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This includes having an appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control to enable good food hygiene.

The hygienic handling of food, including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage, was rated as 'generally satisfactory'.

Fuller’s has been approached by the Oxford Mail for comment on the pub’s low hygiene rating.

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