A PUB near Colden Common is "under investigation" by a public health watchdog.

A report from environmental health chiefs, who carried out an inspection at the Queen's Head, gave it a food hygiene rating of 1 out of 5.

It found that systems to ensure that food is safe to eat and that staff know about food safety needed major improvements.

Inspectors found that the hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage at the pub needed improvement.

Similarly, the cleanliness of the premises on Portsmouth Road outside Colden Common needed improvement.

Inspectors from the environmental health partnership of Winchester City Council councils undertook the visit on June 19.

According to the city council, the pub will remain under investigation to "rectify the issues.

The watering hole which is owned by pub retailer and brewer Greene King has a three out of five star rating on review site TripAdvisor.

On its website the Queens Head Described as a rural pub with plenty of outside seating and cosy interior spaces, the Queens head serves "great British food", all day every day with a range of cask ales and handpicked wines to choose from.

A Winchester City Council spokesperson said: "Following a food hygiene inspection, the Queens Head public house, on Portsmouth Road in Colden Common, received a rating of 1 in the National Food Standards rating scheme, which means major improvements are necessary. Our environmental health officers continue to work with the management of the business and it is subject to an ongoing investigation. We are working with the owners of the premises to rectify issues that have been discovered. As such, no report can be released until this investigation has been concluded.”

A spokesperson for the Queen’s Head said: “We take our food hygiene extremely seriously and as soon as we received this rating on 19 June we took swift action to address the points raised by the local authority. We have a review scheduled for September where we hope to return to our previous high rating.”