The food hygiene report, given to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after a Freedom of Information request was made, said: “The standard of cleaning to the structure of the kitchen was poor. A thorough deep clean and disinfection is required.”

Pointing to specific problems, the report said the skirting board was greasy, as were the legs and feet of equipment and the pipes behind the units and under the sinks.

The document added: “You must thoroughly clean the above areas. The standard of cleanliness required is that there should be no visible dirt other than unavoidable fresh spillages.”

The Queen's Arms in Liscard, Wirral (Google)

Another problem was the way The Queens Arms stored its food.

The report added: “A number of foods stored in the fridge and freezer were left uncovered. This practice may lead to the contamination of food through physical (foreign body) contamination, allergen cross contamination and freezer burn.

“Food must be covered to be protected from contamination. This was also very apparent in the kitchen area for ease of use. This should be discouraged or significantly reduced.”

Zero star hygiene rating handed to Liscard pub

This was not the only contamination risk at the pub.

The document continued: “No designated food preparation areas between raw and ready to eat foods. The main table in the kitchen looked to be used for all processes.

“When both raw and ready to eat foods are handled and prepared in the same premises, there must be effective procedures in place to prevent cross-contamination.”

There were also problems with hand washing at The Queens Arms.

The document said: “There was no soap at the designated wash basin. This demonstrates to me that you have not been washing your hands at that sink. You must use the hand wash basin.

“Reusable material cloths were being used to clean food preparation surfaces and staff were observed cleaning their hands on dirty cloths before continuing to prepare food.”

Inspectors noted that cloths could become “heavily contaminated” with bacteria which may be transferred to food as it is prepared.

Therefore, they were clear that reusable cloths must be kept clean and be regularly replaced.

The report added: “No checks were being made to confirm that food is being stored to a safe temperature (hot and cold foods). This may allow food poisoning bacteria to survive.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service and the Globe, both approached The Queens Arms for comment, but did not receive any response.