A PUB landlord has said a zero food hygiene rating was just the wake-up call his pub needed after getting back on its feet.

The Eight Bells in Eaton, near Cumnor, scored zero – the worst possible rating – in August last year but has improved so much it was handed a three-out-of-five rating by the Food Standards Agency.

Landlord Tommy O’Sullivan said the turnaround was down to the help of locals and regulars in a major revamp – reported by the Oxford Mail at the time.

He said: “The zero rating and report has done me a favour, I think. We have all really rallied around and we have done everything we can.

“The farmer down the road came with his family to help with the painting for example.

“It shows that the locals run the pub really. It’s a popular pub; they come from miles around.”

Last year’s inspection found the standard of cleaning to the kitchen, servery, bar and cellar to be “extremely poor”.

The Vale of White Horse District Council inspection demanded urgent improvements and the pub voluntarily closed before reopening in September.

The report said dust, dirt, dead flying insects and cobwebs had built up in the kitchen windows and the surfaces were in a “dirty condition”. The pub scored “very bad” in both food hygiene, and safety and structural compliance, categories in last year’s inspection.

Mr O’Sullivan said the kitchen had been closed during the inspection and admitted no work had been done on it for several years.

Since the low rating, a new kitchen has been fitted and a revamp of the lounge, bar and dining room has taken place.

He said: “Food is up and running again and the pub is getting busier and busier. We also had a whole new cellar put in and everything is spick and span.”

The 16th century building also had some structural issues including damage to the windows, skirting boards and missing wall tiles.

New windows, bar improvements and a general refurbishment saw a May inspection rate the building’s structural compliance as ‘fair’ – which can be defined as being “in the top 50 per cent of premises and standards are being maintained or improved.”

The pub held a beer festival on Saturday to celebrate the pub’s resurgence over the past few months. Mr O’Sullivan said: “It was a great success. We had plenty of music and everyone was enjoying themselves.

“The locals in the village love the pub – it was closed for two years before I took it over.”