A FAST food restaurant in Southampton closed after “unsatisfactory” levels of cleaning were identified during an inspection.

Council environmental health officers visited the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) branch in Portswood Road on Monday to carry out a routine inspection of the premises.

A spokesman for the council said that the inspection uncovered “unsatisfactory levels of cleaning in the premises, including in the food preparation areas.”

He added: “KFC management decided to close the restaurant voluntarily in order to undertake cleaning before reopening later in the day.

“No formal action was taken by Southampton City Council at the time.”

A further visit did not uncover any other problems, and the council says cleanliness and hygiene levels will be monitored closely.

The spokesman added: “If satisfactory standards are not maintained then the council’s environmental health team will have no alternative but to consider formal action.”

A spokesperson for KFC said: "Health and hygiene are of the utmost importance to us, and our Portswood restaurant received a 'Scores on the Doors' rating of four stars on its most recent formal inspection, so to ensure we maintain its high standards we voluntarily closed for two hours on Monday to address some potential concerns.

"After we were satisfied that our high standards were being upheld, the store was reopened to customers the same day, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused."

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