A Southampton restaurant found to have raw meat debris on cutting boards has been slammed by hygiene inspectors.

Bosses at Everest Cuisine on Queensway were told they needed to carry out major improvements after an inspection.

Inspectors found the premises ‘were not kept clean’ and urged management to take urgent action and gave it a one rating.

'Black mould on walls'

The report mentioned a serious of what it calls ‘poor standard of cleaning’.

It said: “Black mould has accumulated on the walls in the toilet.

“Food debris was present on the walls and the floor below equipment in the main food preparation area.

“The hand contact areas of the doors in the premises (particularly the doors between the food preparation area and the dining area and the doors to the dry store) were sticky to the touch and visibly soiled.”

READ MORE: Takeaway with 'food debris and mould on walls' slapped with zero food hygiene

There were also several occasions where food debris was found around the restaurant.

“Food debris and dirt had accumulated at the wall floor junctions in the main food preparation area," the report said.

It added: “The internal surfaces of the ice machine in the bar area were contaminated with black mould.

“The internal and external surfaces of the silver upright refrigerator in the main food preparation area were dirty with food debris.

“Black mould had accumulated on the underside of the lid and on the seals to the chest freezer used to store ice cream.”

'Raw meat debris on cutting board'

The findings also include cutting boards not being clean and having food debris.

It said: “The white board used to prepare salad during the inspection was soiled with black deposits.

“The green board in use to prepare food was soiled with encrusted food debris. The red board used to prepare raw meat was excessively scored and food debris had accumulated in the scored sections.”

Staff toilet seat 'excessively worn'

The report also said the toilet seat in the staff toilet must be replaced after it was found ‘excessively worn’.

When contacted by the Echo, the owner said after receiving the report they ‘fixed the issue immediately’ and are waiting for the inspecting officer to return.

The report said the inspection took place on February 4 with a check due four weeks later.