FOOD inspections conducted by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council are among the best in the country, a new report has found.

The authority was named as the fourth council out of 398 across England by Which? in the consumer champion’s rankings for enforcement of food legislation.

The council narrowly missed out on the top spot with 99.6 per cent of food businesses rated for risk and 99.5 per cent enforcement interventions carried out from April 2013 to March 2014.

Which? based its rankings on three criteria – the proportion of premises ranked as high or medium risk in a local authority that were compliant with food hygiene requirements, the percentage of premises that had been rated for risk, and the number of inspections and follow ups that were carried out.

Food businesses are responsible for compliance with hygiene and standards rules, but councils have an important role in ensuring they do this.

Borough council leader, Councillor Clive Sanders, said: “Eating out shouldn’t be a lottery for our residents who have the right to expect high standards of the borough’s restaurants, cafes and takeaways.

“This shows just how seriously we take keeping people of the borough safe. It shows the dedication of our officers to giving the people the protection they deserve. But, it is also a tribute to food businesses that take pride in their standards of food hygiene.”