Best & worst places for food hygiene

UK nations, counties, local authorities and towns ranked by the average hygiene rating of their food businesses. A higher score means cleaner premises overall; Scotland is ranked by pass rate, as it uses a different scheme.

UK nations compared

England, Wales and Northern Ireland use the 0–5 scale; Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme, shown as a pass rate.

England4.6average ratingWales4.6average ratingNorthern Ireland4.8average ratingScotland92%pass rate

Towns & cities

Highest-rated

  1. 1Burnham-on-Sea5
  2. 2Charlbury5
  3. 3Dorchester5
  4. 4Gillingham5
  5. 5Longtown5
  6. 6Retford5
  7. 7Skelton5
  8. 8St Ives5
  9. 9Sturminster Newton5
  10. 10West Mersea5
  11. 11Y Waun5
  12. 12Yarm5
  13. 13Chelmsford4.9
  14. 14Chichester4.9
  15. 15Ripon4.9
  16. 16St Asaph4.9
  17. 17Wrexham4.9
  18. 18Adlington4.9
  19. 19Amble4.9
  20. 20Ballymena4.9

Lowest-rated

  1. 1Y Blaenau3.8
  2. 2Ince-in-Makerfield3.9
  3. 3Atherton4
  4. 4Ashford4
  5. 5Walsall4.1
  6. 6Tyldesley4.1
  7. 7Rhymney4.1
  8. 8Leigh4.1
  9. 9Hindley4.1
  10. 10Farnworth4.1
  11. 11Ebbw Vale4.1
  12. 12Chigwell4.1
  13. 13Bolton4.1
  14. 14Birmingham4.1
  15. 15Wigan4.2
  16. 16Treherbert4.2
  17. 17Treharris4.2
  18. 18Tredegar4.2
  19. 19Swinton4.2
  20. 20Smethwick4.2

Local authorities

Highest-rated

  1. 1Bassetlaw5
  2. 2Boston4.9
  3. 3Broxbourne4.9
  4. 4Castle Point4.9
  5. 5Chelmsford4.9
  6. 6Cheltenham4.9
  7. 7Chichester4.9
  8. 8Colchester4.9
  9. 9Cotswold4.9
  10. 10Crawley4.9
  11. 11Dorset4.9
  12. 12Fenland4.9
  13. 13Forest of Dean4.9
  14. 14Gedling4.9
  15. 15Harborough4.9
  16. 16Hartlepool4.9
  17. 17Havant4.9
  18. 18Horsham4.9
  19. 19Ipswich4.9
  20. 20Isles of Scilly4.9

Lowest-rated

  1. 1Waltham Forest4
  2. 2Newham4
  3. 3Ealing4.1
  4. 4Wigan4.2
  5. 5Enfield4.2
  6. 6Camden4.2
  7. 7Bolton4.2
  8. 8Blaenau Gwent4.2
  9. 9Barking and Dagenham4.2
  10. 10Walsall4.3
  11. 11Redbridge4.3
  12. 12Portsmouth4.3
  13. 13Liverpool4.3
  14. 14Lambeth4.3
  15. 15Hillingdon4.3
  16. 16Blackburn4.3
  17. 17Birmingham4.3
  18. 18Wyre4.4
  19. 19Slough4.4
  20. 20Salford4.4

Counties

Highest-rated

  1. 1Dorset4.9
  2. 2Northumberland4.9
  3. 3West Sussex4.8
  4. 4Gwynedd4.8
  5. 5Down4.8
  6. 6Armagh4.8
  7. 7Nottinghamshire4.8
  8. 8Kent4.8
  9. 9Suffolk4.8
  10. 10Somerset4.8
  11. 11Lincolnshire4.8
  12. 12Norfolk4.8
  13. 13East Sussex4.8
  14. 14Cambridgeshire4.8
  15. 15Londonderry4.8
  16. 16Gloucestershire4.8
  17. 17Oxfordshire4.8
  18. 18Clwyd4.8
  19. 19Cornwall4.8
  20. 20Cumbria4.8

Lowest-rated

  1. 1Merseyside4.4
  2. 2West Midlands4.4
  3. 3West Glamorgan4.5
  4. 4Isle of Wight4.5
  5. 5South Glamorgan4.5
  6. 6Mid Glamorgan4.5
  7. 7Greater Manchester4.5
  8. 8Gwent4.5
  9. 9Greater London4.5
  10. 10West Yorkshire4.6
  11. 11Berkshire4.6
  12. 12Bedfordshire4.6
  13. 13South Yorkshire4.6
  14. 14Wiltshire4.7
  15. 15Powys4.7
  16. 16Warwickshire4.7
  17. 17Northamptonshire4.7
  18. 18Herefordshire4.7
  19. 19Tyne and Wear4.7
  20. 20Surrey4.7

Scottish councils · pass rate

Highest pass rate

  1. 1East Renfrewshire99%
  2. 2South Ayrshire99%
  3. 3Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles)98%
  4. 4Falkirk98%
  5. 5Fife98%
  6. 6Moray98%
  7. 7Renfrewshire98%
  8. 8Perth and Kinross97%
  9. 9West Lothian97%
  10. 10East Ayrshire96%

Lowest pass rate

  1. 1Shetland Islands83%
  2. 2Aberdeen City83%
  3. 3Highland86%
  4. 4Glasgow City87%
  5. 5Edinburgh (City of)87%
  6. 6South Lanarkshire88%
  7. 7Midlothian91%
  8. 8Stirling92%
  9. 9Clackmannanshire92%
  10. 10Aberdeenshire92%

Councils need 100 rated businesses to appear, towns 50, and Scottish councils 50 inspected. Counties need 100 businesses on record. Small places are left out so they cannot skew the tables. Ratings are a snapshot from each business's last inspection.