Food bank site closed over 'significant' hygiene breaches

A food bank which gives out hundreds of parcels a week in southern Scotland has been forced to close its premises after "significant" hygiene regulation breaches were discovered.

Dumfries and Galloway Council (DGC) said its environmental health team had found the issues at the First Base Agency in Dumfries.

It added that it had continued to work with the group to allow it to continue to provide support from a different base in the town.

Mark Frankland, who runs the agency, said everyone was "disappointed" by the action but said there had been no interruption of service and new premises had already been found.

The First Base Agency has been based at its office on the town's Buccleuch Street for many years and distributes about 1,000 food parcels a month.

In the first year of the Covid pandemic it ramped up provision in order to meet increased demand for its services, helping about 22,500 people.

The issues with the premises - understood to involve the handling of fresh food - were uncovered during a routine spot check of the facility.

"Following an inspection by the council's environmental health team, the First Base Agency food bank at Buccleuch Street, Dumfries, was closed due to significant breaches of food hygiene regulations," said a DGC statement.

However, it said a number of council teams had worked with the agency to ensure it was able to continue to "provide support to those who need it from facilities that meet the required food hygiene standards".

Mr Frankland stressed that the food bank's services had not been interrupted by the closure of Buccleuch Street and nobody who needed a food parcel had gone without.

"All of us at First Base are disappointed that our building was not deemed appropriate for issuing food parcels," he said.

"But we are delighted that Independent Living Support are now handling our food parcels in the town centre."

The new facility is located on the town's George Street Meuse.