Dublin favourite The Hole in the Wall pub, which claims to be the longest pub in Europe, has been issued a closure notice following an inspection by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

The health body ordered its closure after concluding it posed a significant threat to public health after inspectors found black dirt, filth, grease and mould, encrusted and decomposing old food, and used cigarette butts, RTE reported.

Along with the reported filthy conditions, the inspection found no soap, towel or running water at a staff hand basin. The notice to close, which was issued on 8th December, was lifted the following day.

Of the other five closures issued due to unsanitary conditions, only two still remain in effect. They include Casey's pub in Raheenagh, Limerick, and RBK Poultry Limited based in Dublin's Chapelizod.

"An open bucket of ash from a fireplace beside trays of eggs and tinned beans", and "exposed plaster board" posing the danger of the "shedding of particles into food" was found in Casey’s pub upon investigation.

At RBK Poultry, meat considered “unfit for human consumption due to putrefaction, foreign body contamination and poor storage conditions" were among the reasons cited for the issued notice of closure.

2022 saw a rise of almost a third in the number of breaches of food safety legislation compared to 2021. This amounted to 77 enforcement orders on food businesses which included 65 closure orders.

Chief Executive of the FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne expressed her disappointment in the report issued yesterday "that month after month, food inspectors find similar, basic and fundamental breaches of food law."

77 Enforcement Orders served on food businesses in 2022

Closure Orders & Prohibition Orders were issued by Environmental Health Officers in the @hselive, sea-fisheries protection officers in SFPA & officers of the FSAI. Please see: https://t.co/82oUB0DRSi #consumerprotection pic.twitter.com/HPwy3HzXsv

— FoodSafetyAuthority (@FSAIinfo) January 10, 2023