A Norwich city centre coffee shop has been told to improve its hygiene standards after being given a one star rating by inspectors.

The Caffé Nero on Gentleman's Walk was given the rating by food hygiene officers from Norwich City Council in December.

Inspectors said there was 'poor' cleaning and sanitation, and said items including shelving, fridge shelves and a rear wall which had cobwebs were in need of cleaning.

In its food hygiene and safety section, one of three which make up the report, they said the branch was 'failing to comply with the law in many respects', with 'significant lapses in safe food handling practices'.

An issue with a fridge meant 'high risk foods' were stored at too high temperatures, ranging between 13.7C to 15.3C, though the manager agreed 'not to sell these items voluntarily'.

But a spokesperson for Caffé Nero said issues raised had been immediately addressed, and that many would not have been found the following day.

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'The hygiene and safety of our team and customer are of the highest priority for us, the issues raised were isolated to the time of the visit and where needed have been immediately addressed,' they said.

'The issue with the fridge developed during the morning, as it was working perfectly when the store opened. Food was immediately removed from the fridge and disposed of, and the fridge was in full working order by the following morning.'

Inspectors said they found fruit flies above the sink, but noted the premises was 'proofed against the entry of pests'.

There was praise elsewhere for the store, with 'hand washing managed well', and the presence of allergens in non-packaged food identified clearly to customers.

In the confidence in management section, the shop was warned there was 'major non-compliance with legal requirements', and that a revisit was planned, with formal enforcement action 'likely'.

The Caffé Nero spokesperson said: 'The store does not have any issue with flies, which is verified by the regular independent third party assessment we receive, and the entire store received a thorough deep clean immediately following the visit. All our Norwich stores hold full hygiene scores, and we look forward to welcoming the environmental health officer back to re score this store.'

The brand's three other branches in the city centre hold five-star ratings.