A Chinese restaurant given a food hygiene rating of one and told major improvements were necessary has now reached the top rating of five.

The 4 In Love restaurant on Railway Road in King's Lynn was warned after a visit from food hygiene inspectors on June 13 resulted in a second one rating following a previous inspection on March 25.

The inspector said at the time: "Cigarette ends were discarded on the floor in the back room and there was a smell of cigarette smoke. Smoking is not permitted in workplace kitchens or places of work.

"You have been repeatedly told that your standard of cleaning is not acceptable. This not only relates to around equipment, walls, floor etc, but also food equipment.

"Of particular disappointment yesterday was the cleanliness of the sinks, which are supposed to be used to clean things in.

"If sinks themselves are dirty, how can you clean things that go in them?"

She added: "I have no confidence that you realise the importance of cleaning and disinfection, as this has been highlighted to you numerous times before, but is still an issue.

"Looking over your previous visits, you have a varying record of compliance and a poor knowledge of food safety."

But four months on, the 4 In Love restaurant has been awarded a five rating, with an inspector noting: "A routine food hygiene inspection was carried out and the standards of cleaning, maintenance and food handling practices were good."

A restaurant representative said that it was repainted, cleaned and upgraded prior to a sale on August 25, however it was only recently reassessed as new owners had struggled to understand the application for a review.

A one rating is the second lowest food safety rating a restaurant can receive with zero being the lowest.

The five rating implies that a restaurant has a "very good" standard of food hygiene, with a one rating telling business owners that "major improvements" are necessary while zero indicates that "urgent improvements" are necessary.