A BURY business has been regraded with a five food hygiene rating after receiving a zero rating earlier this year.

Saporito, in Bury Market, jumped from the lowest to the highest possible rating,when it was regraded by Bury Council, however, the business’s owners have said that they are unhappy with the original grading, alleging they have been the unfortunate victims of a wider problem.

The deli was given a zero rating after an inspection in June during which council inspectors found evidence of a mice infestation and droppings throughout the basement unit, food packaging and consumables, and issues with documentation.

Liam Reeves, Saporito’s owner, has alleged that the business’s mice infestation was not an isolated incident but a market wide issue, of which Saporito was an unfortunate victim at the time of its inspection, and that the deli lost customers as a result of the grading.

Mr Reeves said “We feel, as a family and a business, that we have been scapegoated for an issue spread throughout the market.

"We want the public of Bury to know that they can have confidence in how we run our business to the highest standard of cleanliness, proven in this five rating.”

But a council spokesman stated: “We take food standards and hygiene very seriously. There are approximately 1,500 food and drink outlets across Bury.

"Our residents, and the hundreds of thousands of people who visit Bury every year, need to be confident that there is no health risk when they eat and drink in our cafes, restaurants, pubs and shops.

"The markets manager is not involved in hygiene ratings – this is conducted by the council’s environmental health officers.

"Saporito’s was given a rating of zero because they had failed to clean up following advice from council officials the week earlier.

"They also failed to have a documented food safety management system, which is a legal requirement and one of the main factors influencing the rating.

“Some 84% of market traders have either 4 or 5 stars. Saporito’s was the only trader to have zero stars at the time of inspection.

“Since this inspection, we noted that the owner carried out an emergency deep clean, and we were happy that there was no immediate risk to health that would warrant closure of the premises. The owner has since carried out further work, and our inspectors have gone back to re-inspect the premises.

“The good news is that Saporito’s has now been awarded the top rating of 5 stars.

“Our environmental health officers are always ready to work with retailers to help them ensure that the highest possible standards are in place for the benefit of their customers.”