THE owner of an Indian takeaway is looking ahead to a bright future after an improved inspection report.

Shohid Miah, who runs the Shabaz eatery in Rufford Drive, Whitefield, said he was delighted by the latest Food Standards Agency (FSA) inspection, which gave the takeaway a rating of four on a scale of 0 to 5 — five being the best.

When the takeaway was previously visited in August by Bury Council officers, who conduct the routine inspections on behalf of the FSA, they raised several concerns.

According to the inspection report, they said meat was being defrosted overnight without temperature control and that meat was not being stored properly.

They also spotted damaged flooring in a food storage room, which would make it hard to clean.

Inspectors asked Mr Miah to draw up a cleaning schedule and more staff training.

On that occasion, they awarded Shabaz a 'one' rating and they returned on October 1 to check on staff's progress.

Council officers found that the damaged floor had been repaired, staff had been fully trained and meat was being properly stored.

They described the takeaway as "well organised" and "clean, with all repairs now completed" and added that a cleaning schedule had been drawn up

Mr Miah, of Oldham, said: "I am very pleased to have got a higher rating in the latest inspection.

"The business has been at the heart of the local community since it opened in 1994 and I took over in 1999.

"We are popular with customers and it is great that we are able to show them the positive steps that have been taken to address the observations at the initial inspection.

"It means we can concentrate on the future and on improving our service even more."