A major supermarket has been given a two-star food hygiene rating after inspectors discovered "dirty" shelves, mould in the fridges and freezers and bins "beyond cleaning". Sainsbury's in Romney Place, Maidstone was downgraded from five stars by the council's environmental team.

The report, initially published in May, is being published now after a Freedom of Information Act request. Sainsbury’s says immediate action has been taken to correct the issues and it is now waiting to be rescored.

Inspectors visited the store on April 24 where they found cleaning procedures had “not been followed for some time”. Pictures show mould in fridge and freezer sections near meat, ready meals and tinned products.

The report said: “The shelving was dirty and had black mould growing on it. This was wide

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