All nine borough venues inspected in August scored 5, from East Surrey Hospital to Waitrose Horley. It was also the lightest inspection month in 20 months.

Every food business inspected in Reigate and Banstead in August came away with the top mark. Nine premises were rated, and all nine scored 5.

That has not happened in any other month since at least January 2025. In the 20 months before August, every single month produced at least one venue scoring 3 or below.

There is a catch, and it is the reason the clean sweep is worth less than it looks. Nine is the smallest number of inspections the borough has published in any month over the same period. In August last year the council rated 51 premises. In July this year it rated 21.

The nine, and what each one is

Ratings are published by the Food Standards Agency from inspections carried out by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council’s own officers.

Rated Business Where
11 Aug Giggling Squid 27 to 29 High Street, Reigate
11 Aug Joyful Tots Horley Nursery Mother Hen Nursery, 80 Lumley Road, Horley
19 Aug SK Authentic Biryani takeaway, RH1, no street address published
19 Aug Waitrose 26 Victoria Road, Horley
21 Aug Horley Community Centre Albert Road, Horley
24 Aug Our Coop Little Pioneers Co-operative Childcare, Tadworth Court, 2 Tadworth Street
24 Aug Ye Village Butchers Chequers Lane, Walton on the Hill
25 Aug The Woodman Woodmansterne Street, Woodmansterne
26 Aug Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust East Surrey Hospital, Canada Avenue, Redhill

Three of the nine are places that feed people who cannot easily go elsewhere: two nurseries and the catering operation at East Surrey Hospital. Those are inspected as “caring premises” rather than as restaurants, and a 5 there carries more weight than a 5 at a coffee shop.

Inspections are falling

The borough has published far fewer ratings as the year has gone on. These are the monthly totals for 2026 so far, counted from the ratings currently on the FSA register:

  • January: 27
  • February: 75
  • March: 33
  • April: 42
  • May: 26
  • June: 28
  • July: 21
  • August: 9

February’s 75 is the high point of the year. August’s nine is a little over a tenth of it.

Bar chart of food hygiene inspections published for Reigate and Banstead by month in 2026: January 27, February 75, March 33, April 42, May 26, June 28, July 21, August 9.

One caution on those figures. The register is updated as inspections are processed, so recent months can rise after publication. Our own report on the July ratings, written on 6 August, counted 16 businesses rated that month. The register now shows 21 for July. August’s total may yet climb.

Where the borough stands overall

The register currently lists 1,108 food businesses in Reigate and Banstead. Their current ratings break down like this:

  • 632 rated 5, very good
  • 127 rated 4, good
  • 70 rated 3, generally satisfactory
  • 25 rated 2, improvement necessary
  • 13 rated 1, major improvement necessary
  • 2 rated 0, urgent improvement necessary
  • 209 awaiting their first inspection
  • 30 exempt, mostly low-risk premises such as newsagents selling only wrapped goods

The 209 awaiting inspection is the number to watch. It is nearly a fifth of the register, and it will not come down at nine inspections a month.

Two businesses currently hold a 0. New Lotus House at 10 Linkfield Corner, Redhill, was rated on 30 July 2025. The Nisa Local at 158 to 162 Brookfield Drive, Horley, was rated on 6 February 2025. Both ratings are more than a year old, which means neither has been re-rated since.

What it means for you

A rating is a snapshot of what an officer found on one day, not a running score. A 5 says the kitchen was in good order when it was checked; it does not tell you what it is like today, and on these figures the check may have been a long time ago.

Two practical points. First, businesses do not have to display the sticker in England, so the register is the only reliable place to look. Second, a business that disagrees with its rating has a right of appeal, a right to reply that is published alongside the score, and a right to ask for a re-inspection once it has put things right. A low rating from last year may already have been fixed.

You can check any premises by name on the Food Standards Agency register, and our own Reigate business directory lists the pubs, cafes and shops trading across the borough.

Sources