A WETHERSPOON pub in Chard has gained the top rating for its levels of hygiene in the council's Scores on the Doors programme.

The Cerdic, in Fore Street, was awarded a five-star rating by the council’s inspectors.

Scores on the Doors aims to highlight hygiene standards in pubs, restaurants, take-aways and clubs.

Inspectors judge outlets on how hygienic and well-managed the food preparation at the premises is and each business is benchmarked against the same criteria namely: hygiene, structural and confidence in management.

The pub’s manager, Chris Farrugia, said: “We are delighted that we have gained the top rating and I’m sure our customers will welcome the news too.

“Standards of hygiene at the pub are of paramount importance.

“All of the staff work hard to ensure that the pub offers its customers the highest levels of hygiene at all time and we are delighted that our efforts have been recognised with the five-star rating.”