MORE than a third of venues that serve food in Bolton received a written warning over hygiene issues in the past year.

Figures from the Food Standards Agency show that 846 of 2,510, or 33.7 per cent of outlets in the borough, received warnings from the watchdog across the 2015/16 period.

The FSA classes a written warning as an informal enforcement and it can include any communication with a business owner to say that infringements of hygiene legislation have been found.

In its annual report on UK local authority food law enforcement, the FSA also indicated that 14 food businesses in Bolton received hygiene improvement notices.

Nine outlets received formal enforcement actions because of hygiene failures and eight of those involved the seizure, detention or surrender of food from the premises.

There was just one prosecution of a food proprietor in Bolton, which came after inspectors found mice droppings in the kitchen of the Bolton Excellency Centre wedding venue in Carlton Street in the town centre in March.

As reported in The Bolton News, business owner Dr Mohammed Jaberansari and director Taymure Khan were separately found guilty of six counts of failing to comply with hygiene requirements.

Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Nick Peel, is in charge of the team that carries out the inspections.

He said the figures show the council is keeping a close eye on food establishments.

He added: “I am quite comfortable that we are on top of it and the figures of 33.7 per cent receiving warnings says to business owners that we are looking at you and we will take action if needed.”

Cllr Peel is also backing a campaign by Bolton North East MP David Crausby who wants a change in the law so that food outlets must be forced to publicly display food hygiene scores.

Food hygiene chief backs Bolton MP in bid to make restaurants put 'scores on the doors'

Currently this is optional and the government is assessing whether to make changes.