5

The Thirsty Duck food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · West Lancashire

The Thirsty Duck holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the restaurant met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 21 March 2025, 15 months ago. Councils typically re-inspect higher-risk businesses every six months to two years, with well-run, low-risk places visited least often, so this is a normal gap.

Address: Units 9 To 10, Burscough Wharf, Liverpool Road North, L40 5RZ

How it compares in West Lancashire

That puts The Thirsty Duck among the 664 places in West Lancashire holding top marks, 80% of everywhere the council rates. A 5 is the norm here rather than the exception, so it is the rating to expect, not to be impressed by.

Every rated food business in West Lancashire
5 out of 5 664 80% ← The Thirsty Duck
4 out of 5 99 12%
3 out of 5 55 7%
2 out of 5 3 <1%
1 out of 5 12 1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 99 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.

What the inspector found

An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At The Thirsty Duck none of the three raised a concern, the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, so a clean sweep is what produces a high score.

Food hygiene ratings nearby

The closest food businesses to The Thirsty Duck, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Hugos Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen at this address 5 - Very good 3 February 2026
Only Scrans Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen at this address 5 - Very good 13 January 2025
Cactus Ray's Pub/bar/nightclub 1 yards away 5 - Very good 6 March 2026
Milkie Bar Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 1 yards away 5 - Very good 24 February 2026
Brewsterz Takeaway/sandwich shop 129 yards away 5 - Very good 1 April 2026
Hop Vine Pub/bar/nightclub 129 yards away 5 - Very good 6 November 2024
Old Packet House Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 157 yards away 5 - Very good 23 November 2023
Janies Tea Room Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 202 yards away 5 - Very good 11 June 2024

Questions about The Thirsty Duck

What is The Thirsty Duck's food hygiene rating?

The Thirsty Duck has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by West Lancashire Council on 21 March 2025.

Is The Thirsty Duck safe to eat at?

The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 5 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this restaurant to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Thirsty Duck last inspected?

The Thirsty Duck was last inspected on 21 March 2025, 15 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by West Lancashire Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Thirsty Duck?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "very good", and confidence in the management of food safety "very good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does The Thirsty Duck compare to other places in West Lancashire?

80% of the 833 rated food businesses in West Lancashire hold the top rating of 5, and The Thirsty Duck is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

West Lancashire Council inspects The Thirsty Duck and sets the rating; the Food Standards Agency publishes it. Neither the business nor this site can change a rating, a business that disagrees can appeal to its council, and can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems.

Tell me when this changes

The Food Standards Agency publishes only a business's rating today, not what it scored before, and not when it moves. We check every UK rating each night. Watch The Thirsty Duck and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

The Thirsty Duck is one of 78 rated food businesses in Burscough. See every hygiene rating in Burscough

West Lancashire inspects and rates 932 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in West Lancashire

The official record is held by the council: http://www.westlancs.gov.uk

Rating from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Ratings reflect standards found at the time of inspection and can change. If you think a rating is wrong, the official record is held by the FSA and the local authority; corrections there flow through here. How ratings work →