FURTHER checks are due at a Chinese Restaurant and Takeaway which was given a food hygiene rating of zero.

During an inspection - triggered after a complaint - Yeung Sing, on 34 Meliden Road in Prestatyn, was told to make urgent improvements in areas such as food handling and the management of food safety.

An inspector found a flank of raw pork - which was hanging from the ventilation system above the hob/oven area - and a large piece of belly pork next to raw pork.

Despite being handed the bottom of the scale rating, the businesses is continuing to trade while it makes efforts to improve.

The Food Inspection Report, obtained through a Freedom of Information request from the Journal, said: "I was informed the piece of cooked belly pork was for personal use; however, you [Yeung Sing] were trading at the time of the visit, and it is my professional opinion that this piece of cooked belly pork was being offered for sale.

"The raw flank of pork was being stored above an area where foods are processed for the final time before service and there was a large pan of cooked rice being stored just in front of the raw pork."

The inspector was told that the raw pork would stay for a period of three or four hours before being placed in the oven for cooking.

Once cooked, it was sliced, wrapped in cling film and put in the freezer.

The report added: "The probe thermometer was in a greasy condition with old food to the surface, and was set to Fahrenheit and not Celsius.

"This is a high risk activity and you do not have a documented food safety management system in place for this activity."

The inspector and a colleague returned to the premises the next day. This time they found no hanging pork, but "poor food handling activities" were observed such as raw pork defrosting in the sink using water; not washing bean sprouts before cooking and foods being stored in carrier bags and in a greasy cardboard box in the freezer.

There were a high number of cobwebs in the dry goods areas and light switches, plug sockets and contact points were blackened with a build-up of grease.

A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: "The council carries out regular checks at premises that prepare and serve food on a regular basis and we work with businesses to make sure that they operate to the strictest levels of hygiene. This is to try and protect the health and well-being of customers. We will provide them with advice on what they need to do to comply with hygiene regulations and we will undertake checks to see what progress is being made.

"Further checks at this premises are due very shortly."