ULTRAviolet equipment is the latest weapon for health inspectors trying to ensure food handlers wash their hands.

The equipment was bought by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council after a national survey revealed 39 per cent of catering staff do not wash their hands after going to the lavatory.

The Food Standards Agency survey also found that 53 per cent of catering staff do not wash their hands before preparing food.

The council's food team has set up a programme of visits to hotels, pubs, bakeries, butchers, nursing homes, restaurants, fish and chip shops, supermarkets and delicatessens to stress the importance of clean hands.

"We had borrowed this ultraviolet device before and found it so effective that we have now bought it," said food safety manager Paul Stenson. "We think it represents a couple of hundred pounds well spent. It isn't rocket science but it very graphically shows how important it is to wash your hands before handling food.

"That means using soap and hot water, a proper rinse with clean water and dry with a clean hand towel. This is commonsense advice but it's clear from the survey that it's not always being followed."

The council teamed up with SK Chilled Foods, at South Bank, near Middlesbrough, yesterday to give a demonstration.