Inspectors find mould in dishwasher, a greasy pipe and 'dirt traps'... but still bump up Old Trafford's food hygiene rating after raw chicken saga

Manchester United has trumpeted 'significant improvement work' which has seen it's food hygiene rating rise from one to four stars.

The club suffered the embarrassment of seeing its food hygiene rating slashed from a five to a one star rating after hosting a health and safety event in November last year when raw chicken thighs were served to 30 people. Inspectors ruled the food served was 'unfit for human consumption'.

After a follow-up inspection, today (Friday) the Food Standards Agency (FSA) bumped its rating back up to four stars, one shy of the top mark. The official report praised the progress but highlighted a handful of problems including mould in a dishwasher, a greasy gas pipe, a 'dusty' extraction fan and old labels which were 'becoming a dirt trap'.

READ MORE: Tenerife Airbnb owner speaks of moment she saw last saw missing Jay Slater

The council hygiene inspector noted in the report: "A review of the actions taken by the club following the incident in November was undertaken. The club has undertaken a lot of work since this, however, the continued demonstration of the implementation of the revised procedures is required to enable the confidence in management score to be increased further."

The club has 28 kitchens serving 250,000 people at games and other events every year and, until November, had enjoyed a five-star food hygiene rating for eight consecutive years.

The full re-inspection in February found 'mould growth' on the upper jets of a dishwasher as well as 'debris' inside the jets, according to the Trafford Council inspection report. A gas pipe behind a grill in the Salford Kitchen was said to be 'in a greasy condition'.

The filters in an extraction canopy in the canopes section of in the Evolution Kitchen were 'dusty' while the emergency button inside a walk-in fridge was 'dirty', said the report. Inspectors also found several containers had 'old labels' attached to them which meant the glue residue was 'becoming a dirt trap'.

Grease was also found dripping down a wall in a dry store of the Red Cafe, said the report. It also said extraction ducting above the ceiling needed to be deep-cleaned 'to remove any potential fire risks'. A gas pipe into a grill in the Red Cafe 'did not appear to be properly connected', according to the report.

The report also noted: "Several gas appliances were without the safety chains connected. Ensure they are re-connected." The report also recommended that metal shielding in a store room is replaced as 'they are starting to rust'.

A previous Trafford Council report revealed raw chicken thighs were served to 30 people as part of the lunch provided at the 'SHE' event on November 21, 2023 when Old Trafford hosted the North West Safety Health Environment Show. Eight attendees reported this to staff, but the complaint was not escalated appropriately, according to the report, which identified breaches of several regulations.

The report said around 300 pieces of chicken were cooked for the event, but only three trays - each of which had around 15 pieces of chicken - were probed to check they were cooked properly. That meant most of the chicken - 17 trays, containing around 255 pieces of chicken - were not checked and the temperature was not recorded as required before they were served.

According to the report, 30 attendees from both the 'VIP' and 'non-VIP' areas later reported being served raw chicken.

Following the new rating, a spokesperson for United told the Manchester Evening News: "As the report states, significant improvement work was undertaken by the club to increase our rating to 4-stars between November and February. This is an incremental process, and we are confident we will regain our 5-star rating at the earliest possible opportunity."