“Brown and foul-smelling” water was seen flooding into the retail area of a Middlesbrough supermarket during a zero-rated food hygiene inspection. 

Heron Foods, on Eastbourne Road, was told that urgent improvement was necessary earlier this year following an inspection on September 25. 

Food hygiene officers attended following complaints regarding “foul water flooding into the store” - and during the inspection, they found evidence of debris and foul water on the shelving units, walls, floor, and equipment. 

A spokesperson for Heron Foods, which is owned by B&M, previously said it made the decision to close for 10 days due to the flooding, which they say was caused by a third-party property. 

The full food hygiene report has now been released by Middlesbrough Council. 

On the visit in September, inspectors said it was evident that the store had been closed “for a period of time” and that “some cleaning and disposal of stock” had been carried out. 

The store on Eastbourne RoadThe store on Eastbourne Road (Image: GOOGLE)

However, there was still an issue with the foul drain above the store, which hadn’t been rectified. 

The store had reopened at the time and was trading while waiting for repairs on the defective drain - but during the visit, a further flooding of “brown and foul-smelling water” occurred in the retail area, presenting a “serious risk of contamination”. 

A voluntary closure agreement was signed by the on-site duty manager at the time. 

In terms of hygiene practices at the site, unsafe food - locate within the retail area that was contaminated with foul water - was found on the premises. 

Inspectors added that, due to the “widespread drainage defect”, the store must carry out an inspection of the drainage system, remove any blockages, and repair any defects. 

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The foul water issue had allowed for the structure of the premises to be dirty, with debris on the walls, shelving unit, equipment, and floor. 

It is understood that the supermarket has now applied for a re-rating, which will be carried out in due course. 

A full statement from Heron Foods previously said: “We made a collaborative decision with the local authority to close the store for 10 days to protect our customers from the risks caused by flooding through a third-party property."