NEW licensees of a Machynlleth pub have turned around its food hygiene rating, going from worst to best in a short few months.

Carl and Sarah Clark took over the running of the Red Lion on Maengwyn Street six months ago.

Last October, it was revealed that the Red Lion was one of only five food businesses in Powys to get a zero rating, from the 1,949 premises assessed by the Food Standards Agency in the county.

The public house on Maengwyn Street received the mark after an inspection last August, with the-then licensee blaming issues with paperwork for the failure.

The Food Standards Agency database, based on inspections by local authority officers, said that “urgent improvement” was necessary at the Red Lion in management of food safety “to have system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future”.

Now, following an inspection of the site by agency officer in March, the new licensees are celebrating a five rating - the highest achievable.

Carl and Sarah have said they are “delighted” with the rating.

See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online on Wednesday