A COUNCIL is encouraging romantics in Oxford to check the hygiene rating of restaurants before making a Valentine’s Day booking.

Environmental health officers from Oxford City Council inspect 1,300 businesses a year to rate them on their hygiene standards.

The council is reminding those looking to dine out for a date on February 14 that they can check the hygiene ratings online.

Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, board member for planning and regulatory services (pictured), said: “Most of Oxford’s restaurants and food business meet high hygiene standards but it’s always best to make sure before you book.

“You can’t tell a restaurant’s hygiene standards by how clean and tidy their staff look or by how romantic the ambience is. So check the food hygiene rating before you go - that way you’ll be sure that the venue you choose meets the standards you expect.”

Businesses are rated on a scale that ranges from 0 - which means ‘urgent improvement necessary’ - to a top rating of 5 - which is ‘very good’.

In Oxford, 68 per cent of businesses hit the top mark.

Mr Hollingsworth added: “Our staff carry out stringent hygiene inspections so that you can be sure that the food businesses you choose trade safely and we will take legal action where they don’t.”

People in the city reserving a table at a romantic hotspot or just ordering a takeaway for a night at home can go online to make sure they choose one of 1,100 businesses in Oxford with a rating of 3 or above.

To check out a business go to the Food Standard Agency’s website at food.gov.uk/ratings or check for the green and black sticker in the premises’ window. If no sticker is visible, people can ask the business directly.