Curry house bosses have been forced to clean up their act after food hygiene inspectors found “dirty” facilities and a build-up of dead insects.

Tandoori Nite in Birchington has a 4.5-out-of-five score on Tripadvisor but council officers gave it a two-star rating for hygiene standards outlining “some improvement is necessary” during a recent visit.

The inspection on October 25 by officials from Thanet District Council (TDC) also discovered leaky kitchen sinks and a pile of cardboard waste that inspectors warned would attract rodents and poor handwashing practices in place.

A bucket of prawns was also found defrosting in an uncovered bucket.

But the Station Road eatery has since been reinspected, earning it a five-out-of-five rating, according to an update published on December 12 on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) register.

A report after the TDC officer’s first visit noted: “There was no evidence that sufficient hand washing was taking place in the main kitchen.

“There was no supply of hand soap or hygienic drying materials at the hand washing sink and at the time of inspection.

“Packed prawns were found to be defrosting at room temperature in a bucket on the floor of the store room.

“The fly killer unit has a build-up of dead insects and requires cleaning.”

Inspection records also detail a greasy fly chain full of dust and debris and a bathroom “dirty and scaled”.

As officers walked through the Tandoori Nite main kitchen, water was collecting on the flood due to a leak in the plumbing and drainage system for the main washing-up sink.

Inspectors cautioned: “Sinks must be adequately plumbed to ensure that water does not collect on the floor of a food business, floors must be free of water and kept clean at all times.

“At the time of my inspection, there was a large amount of waste cardboard outside the kitchen near the outside store - waste cardboard will attract pests in particular rodents to this area and encourages them to enter your food business.”

Officials ordered Tandoori Nite managers to clean the facilities, make the necessary repairs and arrange for staff members to be trained in food safety.

When they returned to the Birchington restaurant earlier this month, inspectors found all issues had been resolved and awarded the business top marks for hygiene and cleanliness.

KentOnline has called Tandoori Nite multiple times to comment about the inspections.