If you fancy dining out or picking up some supplies in south Essex and aren't sure where to pick, it would be worth checking this list to see where might be worth avoiding.

Hygiene and food safety is always rather important when it comes to picking a restaurant.

So we've compiled a list of the restaurants, cafes and shops with the lowest food hygiene ratings in Basildon, which has a total of 1,367 venues it its local authority remit, and in Southend, which has 1,790 according to the Food Standards Agency.

The following list was calculated on the Food Standards Agency's 0-5 tier system, and features all restaurants featuring on the agency's website who have given the lowest food hygiene rating of 0.

To be as update to date as possible, the list only includes reviews since the beginning of 2020, up until September 3, 2021.

The agency says '0' ratings = "Urgent Improvement Necessary".

Inspectors from the agency who review food hygiene in restaurants to later apply the ratings check the following three elements:

• How hygienically the food is handled: how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored

• The condition of the structure of the buildings: the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities

• How the business manages what it does to make sure food is safe and so that the officer can be confident standards will be maintained in the future

The below list of '0' and '1'-rated restaurants includes their listed address and the date of their last inspection by the Food Standards Agency.

Southend

Adam's Shop – rated 0

Echo:

9 West Road Westcliff-On-Sea Essex

SS0 9AU

Cafe O'Portugues – rated 0

Echo:

Portuguese Cafe 55 - 57 Hamlet Court Road Westcliff-On-Sea Essex

SS0 7EY

Baileys Fry Inn – rated 1

Echo:

Bailey's Fry Inn 5 Eastern Esplanade Southend-On-Sea Essex

SS1 2ER

Boswells – rated 1

342 London Road Westcliff-On-Sea Essex

SS0 7JJ

Cafe Noir – rated 1

Echo:

2 Weston Road Southend-On-Sea Essex

SS1 1AS

Corner Supermarket – rated 1

Echo:

104 Fairfax Drive Westcliff-On-Sea Essex

SS0 9AF

Dubai Market Ltd – rated 1

233 - 237 London Road Westcliff-On-Sea Essex

SS0 7BP

Dubai Shawarma – rated 1

233 - 237 London Road Westcliff-on-sea Westcliff-On-Sea Essex

SS0 7BP

Essex Food Centre – rated 1

488 - 490 London Road Westcliff-On-Sea Essex

SS0 9LD

Food Plus – rated 1

Gateway House 179 - 187 London Road Southend-On-Sea Essex

SS1 1PW

Happy Dumpling – rated 1

Echo:

157 The Broadway Thorpe Bay Essex

SS1 3EX

Johnny's Caribbean Hut – rated 1

Johnnys #1 Caribbean Hut 287 London Road Westcliff-On-Sea Essex

SS0 7BX

Jonaki Tandoori – rated 1

383 Southchurch Road Southend-On-Sea Essex

SS1 2PQ

Lana's Kitchen – rated 1

Echo:

155 North Road Westcliff-on-sea Westcliff-On-Sea Essex

SS0 7AF

Linda's Cafe – rated 1

Cafe At 652 - 662 Sutton Road Southend-On-Sea Essex

SS2 5PX

Londis – rated 1

236 - 240 London Road Westcliff-On-Sea Essex

SS0 7JG

Parksons – rated 1

Cash And Carry 2 Clarence Road Southend-On-Sea Essex

SS1 1AN

RST Mini Mart / Londis – rated 1

47 Eastwoodbury Crescent Southend-On-Sea Essex

SS2 6XG

San Fairie Ann – rated 1

43 Alexandra Street Southend-On-Sea Essex

SS1 1BW

The Lunch Box – rated 1

505B - 505D London Road Westcliff-On-Sea Essex

SS0 9LG

The Rosy Lee – rated 1

The Rosy Lee Cafe 1219 London Road Leigh-On-Sea Essex

SS9 3JB

Victoria's Eats & Treats Now T/A Tasty Bites – rated 1

Probation Office Ground And First Floors Skyline Plaza 45 Victoria Avenue

SS2 6BA

Basildon

F&S Supermarket and Halal Meat – rated 0

81 Southernhay Basildon Essex

SS14 1EU

Traditii Muntenesti – rated 0

2 Han House Harvey Road Basildon Essex

SS13 1EP

Caribbean Jerk Takeaway – rated 1

Unit C Rear Of 30 High Road Laindon Basildon

SS15 6NR

Cloud Naan – rated 1

8 Braiswick Place Laindon Basildon

SS15 6EB

Cosmos – rated 1

Fenton Way Southfields Business Park Basildon Essex

SS15 6TD

Feast of Bengal – rated 1

Echo:

9 Meadow Rise Billericay Essex

CM11 2DN

Leggs Butchers – rated 1

9 South Walk Basildon Essex

SS14 1BZ

Little Kitchen – rated 1

8 Braiswick Place Laindon Basildon

SS15 6EB

Wickford Cafe – rated 1

Echo:

3-5 The Broadway Wickford Essex

SS11 7AQ

Wiltshire Farm Foods – rated 1

Unit 2 Annwood Lodge Arterial Road Wickford Essex.

SS6 7UA