FOOD left out for hours, unwashed surfaces and the risk of potentially life-threatening E. coli bacteria were among the problems found at three dirty takeaways.
Inspections by the Food Standards Agency resulted in Briggs Fish Bar, in Nottingham Road, Ilkeston, Luigi Bros, in Nottingham Road, Arnold, and Mr Chips, in Leslie Road, Nottingham, all receiving zero food hygiene ratings.
A report into Mr Chips, which was inspected in February, said: "Salad items, which could be contaminated by soil and food poisoning bacteria, were not being washed in drinking quality water before use.
"Leafy and root vegetables that have not been supplied as ready to eat will not have been subject to controlled washing procedures and should be classed as a potential hazard in terms of cross-contamination of E. coli O157 (these bacteria can make customers seriously ill, and can even kill). Cooked chicken kebab meat was found on a tray at room temperature next to the bain-marie.
"It was left there awaiting orders for up to four and a half hours.
"This practice could allow food poisoning organisms to grow. No one had monitored the temperature of the bain-marie since the last inspection on December 20, 2010.
"The floor surfaces in the front service and middle preparation and storage rooms were damaged, uneven and dirty."
Staff at Mr Chips were neither adequately supervised nor instructed on food hygiene and were also unable to provide the exact location of their fish supplier.
Mr Chips manager Mohammad Farooq said: "Everything is OK now. We have been working down a list of changes that we needed to make. I don't know why it was such a low rating because it was not that bad. We never get customer complaints and we get people coming here because they think we are very clean."
In Nottingham, 96 per cent of businesses have a rating of three or more. But Luigi Bros, Nottingham Road, Arnold, also got a zero rating. Issues picked up on January 29 included cleanliness, lack of an effective food management system, inadequate food storage, insufficient record keeping and problems with the ceiling.
The Post was unable to contact the owners but a Gedling Borough Council spokesman said: "We are working with this particular business owner to ensure that he's aware of his responsibilities as regards food hygiene."
The report into Briggs Fish Bar, Nottingham Road, Ilkeston, also inspected on January 29, still cannot be released due to an ongoing action but the business also got a zero rating.
Phillip Wright, director of operational services at Erewash Borough Council, said: "Our officer reported poor conditions, with urgent improvements necessary. The officer carried out re-visits to see if improvements had been made and we subsequently served improvement notices covering structural issues and staff training requirements.
"We endeavour to help any food business to tackle any issues that have been highlighted during an inspection and offer advice and encouragement to ensure they improve and put proper standards in place."
Please don't go to these dirty outlets
