Concerned inspectors say they may take legal action against a town centre fish and chip shop if its hygiene does not improve.

The Cod Father, in the Lower High Street, scored just one out of five overall when council inspectors visited last month – ruling it is in need of major improvement.

It was tested in areas such as hygiene, safety, and confidence in management.

Inspectors found staff had no soap available at their wash hand basin and stored items on the floor including in the walk in freezer.

In her report, the Ashford Borough Council (ABC) food hygiene officer said: "There have been some improvements since the last inspection but a lot more needs to be done.

"Many issues noted during my inspection have been identified before and included on previous reports.

"If improvement is not seen or maintained, legal action may be necessary."

ABC could issue an improvement notice which identifies the works required and offers a timescale showing when they should be completed by.

If the notice is not complied with, then a prosecution would follow.

A supervisor at The Cod Father said improvements have been made since the inspection in March.

He said: "We have done everything the report said we needed to.

"We are now waiting for ABC to come and do a re-inspection.

"We will definitely get a five-star next time - we have done the changes."

Meanwhile, Spudulike at the Ashford Designer Outlet was given only a two-star rating in February.

The baked potato restaurant chain moved from the food court to The Works book store site in January.

Inspectors found issues with the structure of the building, saying the toilet door does not close very well and opens directly into the main food preparation room.

They say that "presents an unacceptable contamination risk".

Manager Lesley Byott said: "When we were in the food court, we had a five-star rating consistently.

"I want my five-star back and it is nothing major - it is just the way the building is.

"It is nothing to do with management or food hygiene - it is a shame that structural issues drop it down by three points because we are no way a two-star restaurant.

"We are dealing with the structural issues."