A POPULAR pub in Rhuddlan has been handed a new one-out-of-five food hygiene rating, the Food Standards Agency’s website shows.

The Kings Head, on High Street, was given the surprising score after assessment on October 3.

The report into the business rated its hygienic food handling (preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage) and the cleanliness and condition of its facilities and building ‘improvement necessary’.

However, its management of food safety, referring to 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 officer’s confidence that standards will be maintained, was rated ‘major improvement necessary’.

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By law, businesses must display their latest food hygiene ratings for members of the public.

The Kings Head’s minimum rating is all the more surprising given its popularity, with a TripAdvisor rating of 4.0 based on 216 reviews in which many commend the staff and food.

The Kings Head was approached for comment.

It means that of Denbighshire's 258 restaurants, cafes and canteens with ratings, 170 (66 per cent) have ratings of five and just one has a zero rating.