The new boss of a butchers’ shop says he has made big improvements after taking the business on following a shocking food hygiene inspection.

Environmental officers hit Dubai Market in Cliftonville, Margate, with a one-star rating after discovering staff were using “graffiti removal fluid” to clean surfaces and storing animal carcasses alongside vegetables.

Council inspectors also raised concerns over a blood-stained towel found hanging next to a hand-washing basin.

The Northdown Road shop was temporarily closed following the visit while a deep clean was carried out, with the new owner insisting the next inspection will be “no problem”.

Documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests to Thanet District Council (TDC) reveal the details of the visit on August 16.

The senior inspector’s report says: “It was clear that you were not cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that come into contact with raw meat using safe methods.

“This means that bacteria grows in large quantities on these surfaces which is then transferred to the foods you prepare there.

“At the time of inspection you showed me a bathroom cleaner, graffiti removal fluid and grease which you were using to clean equipment and surfaces.”

TDC has clarified the “grease” used was a “water displacement lubricant spray”.

The report continued: “You did not have any food-grade antibacterial sanitiser on the premises.

“The law says that you must clean and where necessary disinfect food surfaces and equipment to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.

“A Hygiene Improvement Notice has been served in relation to this offence.”

The inspector also found raw meat and carcasses being stored in “unacceptable conditions” in the walk-in chiller.

“Meat was piled on top of each other on the floor and carcasses were partly wrapped and just put on the floor on top of other meat with dirty plastic and cardboard underneath,” the reports says.

“This raw meat was also being stored with ready-to-eat vegetables and other items without adequate separation to prevent cross-contamination.”

The visit resulted in the shop receiving a food hygiene rating of one star out of five – the second lowest possible.

The business is now owned by experienced butcher Mahdi Abdallah, who took over from his cousin just under a month ago.

The 47-year-old told KentOnline: “Before I was here, staff were doing these jobs.

“Twenty years I’ve been a butcher in the UK. I know everything. But I told staff please make sure vegetables and meat aren’t mixing – it’s not allowed.

“Now everything is separate.”

The report says some meat products were obviously “past their best”.

“Some meat had an unpleasant odour and some had become slimy and some overly dry,” it says.

Next to the basin for hand-washing, there was a towel “which was covered with areas of blood and dirt” and potentially harbouring “harmful bacteria”.

The inspector recommended staff use paper towels instead.

The report adds that the floor of the walk-in chiller and butchery area was covered with cardboard which “in places was stained with blood and meat juices”.

The inspector also noted “it was clear that the staff in charge of the business did not have adequate training in food safety and hygiene matters”.

The business was temporarily closed for “two or three days” after the inspection.

A Thanet District Council spokesperson said: “This was to allow the most important actions to be carried out, including deep cleaning, disinfection and discarding stock that was no longer suitable for sale.

“The business worked extremely hard and brought in extra staff to carry out the required work so that they could reopen quickly.”

Mr Abdallah explained: “They closed it because you have to clean it properly. After that they came and had a look and we opened.”

A later report from August 31 tells how the butchery area and chiller had been “deep cleaned” since the initial visit, and food storage and cleanliness improved, with all items in clean packaging.

The shop’s butcher has been signed up for food hygiene training and inspectors are set to revisit the business on or after Monday, October 16.

“Whatever they [the council] say, I do it – I have to do it,” Mr Abdallah added.

Any future inspection would be “no problem”, he said, adding: “Any time they’re very welcome.”