A convenience store closed after a damning food hygiene inspection found it was selling chicken past its use-by date.

It was also discovered that staff at Addington Superstore in Ramsgate had no place to wash their hands in the shop’s toilets, which were described as “very dirty”.

An inspector from Thanet District Council handed the business a one-star rating, with the general cleanliness of the whole store rated “poor” following the visit in March.

The shop closed for a period after the shocking findings, which KentOnline obtained through a Freedom of Information request.

The inspector writes in their report: “I found two chicken balti slices past the use by date.

“It is illegal to sell food with an expired use-by date.

“You must check your stock regularly and discard any items with an expired use-by date.”

The inspector continued: “The staff toilets at the rear of the premises do not have a wash hand basin for staff to use.

“You must install a wash hand basin in the WC for staff to use.

“At the time of my visit the staff toilet and WC were very dirty.

“You must clean the WC and maintain the whole area in a clean condition.”

It was found that a door to the rear storeroom, and a window, were damaged and could not be “adequately cleaned”.

There was also no evidence of a trade waste contract for disposing of the shop’s rubbish when the inspector visited earlier this year.

They added: “At the time of my visit there was a large build up of waste in the rear yard.

“This waste must be cleared and the yard cleaned thoroughly.

“The general cleanliness of the whole premises was poor.

“You must clean the premises throughout including, floors, walls and shelves and then maintain in a clean condition.”

A spokesman for Thanet District Council said: “The Addington Superstore closed voluntarily following a food hygiene inspection that took place on March 22.

“The council is not taking any legal action against the business.”

Efforts were made to contact the shop for comment.