The UK's filthiest supermarkets and shops have been revealed. Hygiene inspectors have listed the 14 food stores which were given a 'zero' hygiene rating during routine checks which are aimed at protecting customers from food poisoning.

Among the culprits is a Tesco store upmarket Highgate, in the London borough of Camden, which had to be temporarily closed down after a mice infestation.

The ratings mean they drastically fell foul of guidelines and that 'urgent improvement is necessary'. It also means they could have a history of rodent infestations, filthy conditions or inadequate safety measures.

The data, which is regularly updated on the agency's website, reflects the standards of food hygiene found on the date of inspection or visit by the relevant local authority.  

Each premises is given a rating between zero and five. A rating of two or below indicates that it does not meet the expected standards. 

The Poundland store was forced to remove food from its shelves in February this year after inspectors found an 'imminent risk' from mice in the store.

The food was allowed to be placed back on the shelves after being given the go-ahead by inspectors three days later. 

At the time, a spokesman said: 'The company’s primary concern is for the health and wellbeing of its customers and it has reacted swiftly to resolve the situation. The store remains open for business for non-food items.'

In the Tesco store in Highgate, staff had to thoroughly clean the building and put in pest control measures to prevent further infestation, before reopening the store in April this year. 

A spokesman said at the time: 'We insist on the highest standards of hygiene in our stores.'

The results also show that Tesco and Asda are the worst ranked when it comes to the hygiene of their stores.

Seven of the 1,897 Tesco stores assessed under the guidelines were deemed to have failed to meet standards, while six of the 477 Asda stores were in the same boat.

Three supermarkets had one store which failed to meet the required standards. A Sainsbury's store in Rotherham was the only one out of 1,080 to be marked at two or less, while Lidl's only store - out of 455 - to be marked as inadequate was in Doncaster.

Morrisons had one store in Mansfield which scored two on the scale.  

Neither Aldi or Waitrose had any stores which were deemed inadequate.