Almost half of food outlets in parts of London are failing to meet hygiene standards, a study reveals today.
Six London boroughs are in the 10 worst performing areas in the UK for food hygiene, according to research by Which?.
The consumer group said the findings show diners face a "shocking postcode lottery" and "might as well toss a coin" to decide on a restaurant in some local authorities.
Enfield in north London was named as the worst performing local authority in the UK with just 54 per cent of its 'medium and high-risk' businesses meeting hygiene requirements.
Five other councils in the capital - Lewisham, Ealing, Harrow, Camden and Brent - were also found to be in the bottom 10.
Which? compiled the rankings from a study of data submitted by 398 UK local authorities to the Food Standards Agency.
It looked at three criteria; the proportion of premises ranked as high or medium risk in a local authority that were compliant with food hygiene requirements, the percentage of premises that had been rated for risk, and the proportion of inspections and other follow ups that were carried out by local authority inspectors.
Businesses should be given a risk rating when opening, ranging from A (high risk) to E (low risk) which is determined by factors such as the type of establishment, how many people it serves and the competence of the management.
The rating determines how often the premises are inspected, with highest-risk premises visited every six months and those considered the lowest risk visited every five years.
Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: "Our research reveals a shocking postcode lottery on food hygiene where in some places you may as well toss a coin before deciding which restaurant to trust with your health."
Enfield Council's Cabinet member for environment and community safety, Chris Bond, said the Which? findings were incorrect and the conclusions "nonsense".
He said: "It is ludicrous to suggest, as Which? are, for example, that local authorities which identify the most shortcomings in their local food businesses are the ones which are failing residents when the reverse is quite clearly true.
"Under the Which? assessment criteria, the more businesses you close or prosecute for hygiene failings, the worse the job you are doing. That is clearly a ridiculous suggestion."
Food Standards Agency head of local delivery John Barnes said: "Local authorities are facing challenges and the FSA is working with local authority food services to help them target resources in the most effective way.
"We will continue to provide support, including training and additional funding, to help local authorities investigate and tackle priority areas of concern."
The bottom 10 local authorities on food enforcement are:
1. Enfield
2. City of Edinburgh
3. Lewisham
4. Ealing
5. Harrow
6. Perth and Kinross
7. Falkirk
8. Birmingham
9. Camden
10. Brent
The top 10 local authorities on food enforcement are:
1. Cherwell
2. Brentwood
3. Broxbourne
4. Basingstoke and Deane
5. Hartlepool
6. Ballymena
7. Gwynedd
8. Rossendale
9. High Peak
10. Weymouth and Portland
