More than 70 nurseries in England and Wales failed their hygiene inspections in the last two years, a MailOnline investigation can reveal.
Damaged kitchens, lack of hot water and unsanitary conditions were just some of the reasons health chiefs rated businesses that look after young children as unsatisfactory, which can put facilities at risk of being closed.
Some areas were seen to have a higher number of nurseries that were criticized for poor hygiene, according to analysis of data collected by the Food Standards Authority (FSA).
For example, three nurseries located in Waltham Forest, east London, scored zero out of five, the lowest possible rating that puts them at risk of imminent closure.
The FSA carries out regular hygiene inspections of nurseries across the UK every six months to two years, giving each business a score out of five.
A score of two or less is classified as unsatisfactory, meaning the facility has failed inspection.
Some 23 companies received a rating of one out of five, while 47 received a rating of two out of five.
Premises with a score of zero are considered to need one “urgent improvement”, one “major improvement” and two “some improvements”.
MailOnline has today named and shamed the 73 nurseries that failed inspection on our interactive map.
Simply hover over the colored dots to see if a nursery in your area has unmet hygiene standards.
The data, which is updated by local authorities every 28 days, was collected from the FSA website and is accurate as of November 12, 2024.
These ratings are not just given to nurseries, but to all businesses where food is supplied or sold, including pubs and cafes, as well as supermarkets, schools and care homes.
Hygiene inspectors employed by councils visit these facilities every six months to two years, with places that have been marked and deemed “high risk” visited more frequently.
Inspectors monitor how food is prepared and cooked and evaluate the physical condition of the kitchen.
In addition, kitchen management, such as completing procedures and training staff, is also taken into account.
However, details of the hygiene failures are not available online, as local councils publish only vague information about inspectors’ findings.
There are approximately 12,909 nurseries in England and 368 in Wales, although the majority of these are considered to meet hygiene standards – 73 failed inspection, MailOnline can reveal (file image).
However, information obtained from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that one nursery scored one out of five for having “worn cupboards”, “damaged food containers”, “dust behind the dryer”. and for using inappropriate cleaning products.
Another daycare was marked by a “broken sink”, meaning staff and children did not have hot running water to wash their hands, another FOI revealed.
Cases like these are monitored in follow-up visits and, in some cases, companies are asked to fix the problem within 24 hours.
Companies that score two or less can book a retest once they have rectified the issues in the initial report.
In more serious cases, officials may close a business until improvements are made and may also recommend that a business face prosecution for violating food standards regulations.
While businesses in Wales are required by law to display their qualifications in the window, this is not true in England.
Concerns have been raised as council budget cuts have led to a reduction in the number of inspections.
Over the last decade, the number of food standards inspectors employed by local councils has fallen by 45 per cent.
The FSA and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) warned that staff shortages and cuts “are putting unsustainable pressure on existing local authority teams and may increase the risk of important food safety issues being overlooked”.
The joint statement warned that many of those working for local authority food safety teams are approaching retirement age.
Both the FSA and FSS warned: ‘Our concern is that this reduced ability to assess allergen authenticity, labeling and compliance could compromise food standards in the future.
“Without enough people with the right skills to carry out essential food controls, it will be more difficult to identify, monitor and respond to food safety risks, leaving consumers and businesses vulnerable.”