A HAMPSHIRE farm shop which sells home-made sausages was handed the lowest possible food hygiene rating after an inspector found rodent droppings in its food preparation area.

Heath Farm Sausages in Purbrook, near Waterlooville, was rated zero out of five after an inspection carried out by Winchester City Council for the Food Standards Agency in February.

The report of the inspector's visit on February 27 said: "There was an open drain underneath the double sink which could provide entry for pests."

It continued: "There were a number of rodent droppings in the servery area in a void adjacent to the counter and beside the chest freezer. This area is inaccessible without moving equipment but must be cleaned regularly."

READ MORE: Hampshire takeaway restaurant given low food hygiene rating

The entrance to Heath Farm Sausages (Image: Google)

The shop is currently the only business in the WCC catchment area with a zero-out-of-five score.

The Chronicle spoke to the owners, a husband and wife team who run the Purbrook Heath Farm and its shop, which also sells potatoes and various cuts of meat.

One of the owners said: "[There were problems with] the concrete floor – it needed resurfacing. We just tidied the shop up and the floor did need doing.

"My fridge was clean, the sink was clean – it was just the floor that was the problem. If it was that bad, she [the inspector] would have closed us down and it certainly wasn't that bad."

She added: "It certainly didn't have rats."

According to the owners, the same inspector visited the farm shop around eight weeks ago and was "happy with what she saw".

They said they shut the shop after the first inspection in order to replace the floor.

The FSA requires the flooring in premises selling food to be made of a "non-toxic, washable, non-absorbent and impervious material. It should be seamless to prevent bacteria, mould, fungi and mildew from growing in joints, grout lines, gaps and seams."

SEE ALSO: Hampshire country pub handed abysmal food hygiene rating

In addition, "the flooring should be able to maintain its seamless and impervious properties over time. Where appropriate, the flooring should have adequate surface drainage."

On Facebook, Purbrook Heath Farm is described as "a family-run business that specialise in Christmas poultry".

The comments on the shop's produce are positive, with one Facebook user writing: "We came to Purbrook Heath Farm for the first time yesterday and it was amazing! We got some sausages and bacon and it was to die for. We will 1000 per cent be recommending them to everyone and we will 1000 per cent be returning! They were also so welcoming and informative of all the produce and stock they had!"