BURGER woes in Bicester could be a thing of the past after a new restaurant was launched in a spot haunted by hygiene horrors.

Mi-burger has opened up in Sheep Street after a local businessman became desperate with the lack of burger options in the town.

Its previous incarnation Chicken Hut was given a zero hygiene score last year after inspectors discovered staff were cooking burgers in a toaster.

Environmental health officers from Cherwell District Council told management to ‘thoroughly’ clean the toaster while they checked with the manufacturer if the practice was safe.

When it closed earlier this year, businessman Jean Pierre Kalebic decided to set up his first restaurant.

Mr Kalebic said: “It was famous for being the chicken shop that cooked burgers in the toaster but we have done a complete refurbishment.

“We want to kick that one into touch and when the hygiene inspectors come to visit we are expecting to get a good rating, hopefully five stars."

Mr Kalebic’s first job as a 16-year-old was in a McDonald’s in London and he became one of the youngest restaurant managers in the country when he was promoted the following year.

Plans to build a McDonald’s in Bicester – adjacent to the A41 off Lakeview Drive – were finally approved earlier this month despite concerns over congestion in the area.

But during the protracted saga, the 41-year-old property developer decided to wind back the clock and do it himself.

He said: “I can still remember a lot of it and I want Mi-burger to have the speed of McDonald’s and the quality of Five Guys.

“Since I moved to Bicester I have been so desperate for a burger and there’s nothing here. I have been driving as far as Banbury or Milton Keynes to get one.

“I thought if no-one else was going to do it, I would set one up.”

The burger meat comes from Lewis’s Butchers further along the street as part of a plan to keep things local.

He added: “We are using 100 per cent locally sourced food, some of it from along Sheep Street itself.”

Mr Kalebic said the council was aware of the new business and would be inspecting shortly.

In September 2016, Chicken Hut was roasted by hygiene inspectors over a number of issues, including cooking burgers in a toaster.

A thorough deep clean of the property was also ordered with inspectors warning that domestic cleaning products would not be enough to sort out the problems.

Food debris and hairs were also found in the salad preparation area and staff had a lack of training.