A Swindon grocery shop has received its latest food hygiene rating, but staff would not explain why.

The 9 O’clock Shop on Manchester Road received the second lowest ranking following a Swindon Borough Council inspection on June 10.

Major improvement in the management of food safety was seen as necessary by inspectors.

Management of food safety means the system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future.

(Image: Newsquest)Improvement in the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building was also judged to be necessary.

Hygienic food handling was, however, generally satisfactory.

When contacted for an explanation a staff member at the shop said the owner was on holiday and would not say when he would be contactable.

Across the road, The Tap and Barrel pub’s restaurant area, known as Super Mario Fast Food, recently received a rating of three out of five in all three categories.

They were considered to be generally satisfactory by inspectors who visited the business on June 11.