Everyone loves a good meal out or takeaway and it's always good to know the place you have chosen to eat takes hygiene seriously.

We have assembled a list showing the some of the lowest rated restaurants and other shops selling food in Thornton Heath.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS), run by the Food Standards Agency in partnership with local authorities, aims to help people make informed decisions about where to eat or shop for food by providing information about hygiene standards in restaurants, pubs and cafes.

These are the 33 restaurants and takeaways with a CR0 postcode in Croydon with food hygiene ratings of one out of five

Food inspectors work out hygiene ratings based on the handling of food, including preparation and cooking and storage, the cleanliness of facilities and how the business is managed.

The scheme works on a 0-5 ranking system, with 5 for establishments rated very good, 4 for good, 3 for generally satisfactory, 2 for improvement necessary, 1 for major improvement necessary and 0 for urgent improvement necessary.

Click on the photos above to browse through the one food hygiene ratings from Thornton Heath.

These are the 19 restaurants and takeaways in Croydon with food hygiene ratings of zero out of five

In total 39 food outlets were given one in their food hygiene tests.

Inspectors from Croydon Council, who carry out the checks on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) look at how hygienically food is handled, the condition and cleanliness of the building and how they management ensures food is safe and standards are maintained.

Inspectors check the following three elements:

1. How hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored

2. The condition of the structure of the buildings – the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities

3. How the business manages what it does to make sure food is safe and so that the officer can be confident standards will be maintained in the future