An Oxfordshire country pub has closed its kitchen following an abysmal food hygiene inspection.

The Three Pigeons on Woodgreen in Witney is described as a "friendly” village pub on the edge of the town featuring a back garden with seating.

West Oxfordshire District Council’s Environmental Health team visited the watering hole on Thursday, August 22 and were left unimpressed.

Stating that 'major improvement' was necessary, the pub was handed a shocking one-out-of-five food hygiene rating.

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The Three Pigeons in Witney.The Three Pigeons in Witney. (Image: Google Maps)

The Three Pigeons’ kitchen has since been shut down while the necessary improvements are implemented inside.

An update on the pub’s Facebook page said: “The kitchen will be closed for a short while so we can update and improve our facilities.

“Look out for great deals and an exciting new menu coming your way.

“Thank you for your continued support, best wishes all from Three Pigeons.”

The key problem during the inspection was the pub’s management of food safety which was stated as requiring 'major improvement'.

This refers to having a system or checks in place to ensure that the food sold or served is safe to eat and if there is evidence that staff know about food safety.

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It also concerns whether or not the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future.

The cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building were also lambasted, with the inspector stating improvement was 'necessary'.

This includes having an appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control to enable good food hygiene.

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