Three food businesses have been forced to shut after serious hygiene concerns came to light.
Members of New Forest District Council’s Housing and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel were told about the work carried out by the council’s food and safety team, which oversees more than 1,800 food businesses across the district.
A report shared with members states that while most businesses comply with food hygiene rules, enforcement action is sometimes necessary where standards fall short.
The council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that three businesses in the district voluntarily ceased trading or temporarily closed following intervention from environmental health officers.
The Raj, in Old Milton Green Parade, New Milton, was identified as having hygiene issues on March 4 this year.
Although no food was seized or destroyed, the council said there was sufficient evidence to warrant formal closure proceedings, and the business ultimately agreed to close voluntarily.
Four hygiene improvement notices were later served covering food safety management procedures, staff training, repair works and pest-proofing measures.
Central Stores, in Parsonage Barn Lane, Ringwood, also closed voluntarily after concerns were first identified on March 10.
The council said all issues were addressed while the business remained closed.
This allowed it to reopen once officers were satisfied the problems had been resolved, and no further formal action was taken.
A third case involved Dixy Chicken in Station Road, New Milton, where issues were flagged on October 31, 2025.
The business subsequently ceased trading, and no further enforcement action was taken.
The council said ownership of the franchise changed before the premises reopened.
Speaking at the meeting on Wednesday, Ben Stockley, food and safety team manager at the council, said that despite issues faced, “we are in a very good place”.
He praised the “small team” which deals with approximately 2,000 businesses, and said the “churn is quite high”, with “some 17 per cent of businesses closing and opening each year.”
The wider report showed that 97.7 per cent of rated food businesses in the district currently achieve a hygiene score of three, four or five, while fewer than two per cent fall into the lowest rating bands.
Officers regulate 1,815 food businesses and are due to carry out around 1,050 inspections and interventions during 2026/27.
The report said the council’s food and safety team also deals with more than 1,200 service requests, complaints and enquiries every year, investigating hundreds of food complaints and infectious disease notifications.
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