The Empire of India restaurant in Bristol has failed a hygiene check because staff were away on a hygiene course with important documents that were supposed to remain in the restaurant.

The restaurant is the highest rated in its area on TripAdvisor, but in the latest inspection it was awarded only two out of a possible five stars for food hygiene.

A spokesman for Empire of India told Somerset Today: “We didn’t have the book in place, the one where we log start and finish times, temperatures etc. The day inspectors came, we had two staff members at Bristol College for training and they’d taken the book with them.

“As the paperwork wasn’t here, the inspector gave us a two rating. He has since returned and everything is now okay and we are waiting for our new rating.”

Despite the rating of two the restaurant was rated ‘satisfactory’ in the management of food safety.