Millions of Brits will be heading to their local tipple between now and the New Year.
However, in hundreds of places across the country, revelers don’t just risk a hangover with a little too much.
Data from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) shows there are 1,296 pubs, bars and clubs that are so dirty they failed a food hygiene inspection.
This, MailOnline can reveal, amounts to almost one in 40.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, all places that serve food are rated on a scale of zero to five.
Companies with a score of two or less have not met the minimum standards and at least “some” improvement is necessary.
Inspectors visiting such locations may find rotting food and rodent droppings or detect unsafe food storage habits.
In Scotland, places are graded on a binary pass/fail basis.
Of the companies on the failing list outside Scotland, MailOnline’s analysis of FSA data shows 584 received a rating of two.
Another 445 received a score of one (meaning significant improvement is needed) and 43 received the lowest possible rating of zero, where “improvement is urgently required.”
The data was correct as of December 6.
In Scotland, 224 businesses received an ‘Improvement Required’ rating.
Local authorities are responsible for inspecting businesses in their area at least once every two years.
Earlier this month, MailOnline showed how 50,000 businesses serving food have never been inspected.
Another 160,000 had not been inspected in two years.
Of the 50,000 businesses that had never been inspected, 1,991 were bars, pubs or nightclubs.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, almost 33,700 bars, pubs and clubs out of a total of 51,781 have the maximum rating of five. Another 7,766 scored a four.
The FSA has called for greater investment by local authorities in their environmental health departments carrying out food standards inspections.
Many local authorities have struggled to recruit enough qualified staff and have not carried out enough inspections.
The FSA says the inspection is a “snapshot” of food hygiene standards. Their ratings do not cover issues such as food quality, customer service, culinary skill, presentation or comfort.
This pub was raided by food standards inspectors from Lichfield District Council.
They focus on food handling, how it is stored and prepared. They also consider the cleanliness of the facility and how food safety is managed.
According to the data, Birmingham had the highest number of poor quality pubs and restaurants in the country, 26 of which did not meet the appropriate level of food safety, followed by Cornwall, Powys and Wiltshire.
Ealing, in west London, is the worst in the capital, with 15 bars and restaurants failing to meet proper standards.
Waltham Forest has the highest number of zero-rated bars and pubs, with four, followed by East Lindsey, Doncaster and Cornwall.