Costa Coffee at Old Signal Box at York Station gets a one

Costa Coffee at the Old Signal Box at York Station scored one-star out of five, following an inspection by City of York Council inspectors on August 12, meaning ‘Major Improvement Necessary.’

The council has declined to release details of the inspection in case it prejudices any further action it may take following current investigations.

However, some details of the inspection have been published on the Food Standards Agency website.

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The website reported that hygienic food handling was ‘generally satisfactory.’

Similarly, the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and the building was also ‘generally satisfactory.’

However, for management of food safety, it was a matter of ‘Major Improvement Necessary.’

A Costa Coffee Spokesperson said: “Costa Coffee takes all food hygiene ratings extremely seriously and we were disappointed and concerned with the rating given to our Old Signal Box, Station Road store in York.

Picture by Gemma Greaves (Image: Gemma Greaves)

“Following the inspection, we have taken immediate action to rectify the concerns. We will be applying for a revisit in the near future, and remain confident that on reinspection, the store will be rated highly once again.”

After submitting a Freedom of Information request to City of York Council, the council responded that “due to ongoing investigations the council believe that releasing the full hygiene reports at this time could prejudice the council’s ability to enforce the provisions of the Food Safety Act 1990 which will inhibit the council’s legal obligation to protect the public.”

A statement added: “To assist with your enquiry the full food hygiene report will be able to be disclosed after the conclusion of the council’s investigations and any subsequent actions.”

This is the second time in recent years that this particular Costa has scored a one-star rating. Zero is the lowest rating.

In 2018, hygiene inspectors branded it ‘filthy’ leading to Costa closing the venue down for 24 hours for a deep clean to be carried out, after which council inspectors noted cleanliness had ‘significantly improved.’

The Food Standards agency website lists ten Costa Coffees in York.

The outlets at York Hospital, Vangarde Way, Monks Cross Shopping Park, Eboracum Way, Parliament Street, Clifton Moor, Museum Street and at Platform 8 at York Station all have 5-star ratings, the highest rating possible, meaning ‘very good.’

The Costa Coffee in the York suburb of Haxby has a 4-star rating, meaning good.

The Costa Coffee in Pocklington is also 4-star rated for food hygiene.