HUNDREDS of businesses selling and serving food across the Windsor and Slough area have not been inspected by the food hygiene authorities for years, the Observer can reveal.

Research has revealed there are more than 300 businesses across the Royal Borough and Slough that have not been inspected by their respective councils for over three years.

Food Standard Agency (FSA) guidelines state that the time between inspections should vary from six months for the highest risk business to two years for the lower risk.

However, even though they were rated highly at the time of their last inspection, in Windsor and Maidenhead several businesses have been waiting to be inspected for almost seven years and there is one business that has not been seen in nearly a decade, with 289 overall not inspected in the last three years.

Ratings for businesses can be found on the Food Standards Agency website or related website, Scores On The Doors.

Maidenhead Tennis Club has a five out of five rating but has not been inspected since June 2010.

A spokesman for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead said: “We inspect premises within the appropriate guidelines and are meeting our requirements with regards to the higher risk food premises.

“Businesses that are preparing and serving or selling different types of both cooked and raw foods are inspected more regularly than for example, a small retailer selling a range of pre-packed foods that require refrigeration.”

In Slough, 23 businesses have gone without inspection for more than three years.

Hyland Stores, in Minster Way, Slough, also holds the ‘Very Good’ rating but has not been inspected since March 2010.

A spokesman for Slough Borough Council said: “All of the 23 businesses are considered to be low risk and we are not required to do full inspections of them. As an authority we focus our resources on the food business which present the highest risk to the consumer.

“However, we have opted to do what’s known as an ‘alternative intervention’ with some of our lowest risk businesses, which involves contacting them by phone or post to remind them of their obligations and ensure they have all the support they need to remain compliant with food safety laws.

“We have done alternative interventions with 19 of the 23 businesses within the past couple of years.”

South Bucks is home to 12 businesses which have not been inspected within the recommended time. South Bucks District Council had not replied to a request for a comment at the time of going to press.