The scheme, launched by the council to publicise hygiene inspection ratings online, incorporates three ratings.

Gold is awarded for excellent standards, Silver for good standards and Bronze for those meeting satisfactory requirements. A number failed to make the grade at all and were listed as ‘poor’.

Environmental health officer Rob Chapleo said the scheme was part of a ‘carrot and stick’ approach designed to urge food premises to do better and assured people that standards in Warwick district were “generally high”.

The inspection results are available for all to see on the council’s website, grouped as gold, for ‘excellent’ standards, silver, meaning ‘good’, bronze meaning ‘satisfactory’ standards and the ‘no award’ categories.

Mr Chapleo said: “We have a reputation for being a stringent authority and decided to introduce the ‘scores on the doors system’ to encourage people.

“While other authorities simply put their data straight on to the internet we decided to do it on a rolling basis so it is fair.

“Food premises with significant issues that need to be addressed are put in to the ‘no award’ category and remain there until we are confident the problems have been resolved. We try to update it every month.

“Those that have not yet been visited will not appear on the database until they have.

“The gold award is there to recognise the cream of the crop. As with the AA restaurant rosette scheme, you would not expect all to be given five stars and the same is true here.”

Inspectors marked each business on hygiene and safety, including temperature control and food handling practices, cleanliness, ventilation and the confidence they had in managers.

Mr Chapleo said the scheme had “driven standards up” since it was introduced in June 2006 and added “people wouldn’t believe the improvements” in food premises in the last 20 years.

l Are the council categories a fair reflection of the standard of restaurants in Kenilworth?

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