A well-known pub in Swindon has been told it must make major improvements following a food hygiene inspection.

The Royal Oak/The Choptank on Devizes Road in Old Town was visited for a routine hygiene inspection on June 26, where Environmental Health Officers issued a one out of five food hygiene rating, meaning major improvements were necessary.

It has since been re-inspected and the venue is awaiting its new score.

In June, inspectors decided that improvements were necessary in two areas - hygienic food handling and cleanliness and condition of facilities and building – while they deemed the management of food safety as needing major improvement.

Despite the pub being rated highly by many customers on Google reviews and Tripadvisor, the owners have assured regulars and future customers that they are acting on the feedback to make the essential changes needed to be awarded a higher food hygiene rating in the future.

A spokesperson for The Royal Oak/The Choptank said: “We at The Royal Oak would like to address a recent issue that arose during a routine visit from the Environmental Health Officer (EHO).

“First and foremost, we want to assure our valued customers that the score primarily reflected issues related to documentation and paperwork. However, we recognise that there were also minor concerns in other areas of the business.

“We acknowledge that we fell short of the high standards that our customers expect and deserve. Since the inspection, we have taken immediate and comprehensive action to rectify these issues. The highlighted maintenance work has been completed, our staff has undergone extensive retraining, and we have implemented a new food safety policy that not only meets but surpasses government standards.

“We are pleased to report that health officers have since revisited our establishment and were impressed with the swift and significant progress we've made in our administrative procedures, food handling and cleanliness. We are currently in the process of applying for a rescore, confident that it will more accurately reflect the hard work we put in each day to serve our customers with the highest standard of care.

“We take this matter seriously and are committed to continuous improvement. We appreciate the understanding and support of our loyal customers and community as we work to ensure that every aspect of our business exceeds expectations.

“As a local business we thank you for your continued trust in The Royal Oak. We look forward to continuing to serve you with the quality and care you expect from us.”