Grime under the spotlight in hit show (From Enfield Independent)

Enfield Borough Council health inspectors Mary Hodges and Claire Tomaso star on BBC One's Food Inspectors

1:30pm Thursday 17th January 2013 in News By Hermione Wright

Inspectors tackling grime in Enfield’s restaurants are experiencing newfound fame after starring in a hit television show.

More than four million people tuned in to Food Inspectors on BBC1 last week to watch Enfield Borough Council environmental health officers Mary Hodges and Claire Tomaso make their debut.

The filth-busting duo closed down a mouse-infested Chinese takeaway in Ponders End, which also had a rabbit living in a box under the sink.

After ordering the owners to make urgent changes before the premises was allowed to reopen, the inspectors will be under the public eye once more on Wednesday January 30.

Despite the huge viewing figures, Ms Hodges, a senior environmental health technical officer, remained calm and collected and soon forgot about the film crew following her around.

She said: "It was a bit disconcerting to have a camera crew following us around at first but I soon got used to it and got on with the job of helping food premises improve their standards of hygiene - the only difference to a normal day is that millions of people saw me doing my job on prime time television.

"I'm looking forward to keeping a low profile for a while now, I've got absolutely no plans to forge a career in television, but it’s nice to be given the chance to show the public how we protect them from unhygienic food premises."

Ms Tomaso, a senior environmental health officer, said it is important for people to learn about the work of health inspectors.

She encouraged customers to check a food outlet before they visit by looking at the food hygiene rating on the door or on the Food Standards Agency website.

She added: "Where we do find problems we will take formal action such as immediate closure and will work with the company to improve.

"It can be very rewarding when businesses respond to our advice and achieve a high rating in the future."