Burger King in Cornmarket has closed for good - shortly after it was awarded a one-star food hygiene rating.

The counter and other fixtures and fittings have been removed from the restaurant at 24 Cornmarket and a contractor on site said it would not reopen.

Burger King fans will now have to drive to Cowley Retail Park or the Welcome Break services at junction 8a of the M40.

There are also Burger King diners in Bicester, Didcot and Thame.

READ AGAIN: Burger King gets one-star food hygiene rating 

The contractor on site said: "This Burger King has closed and it won't be coming back this time.

"If these places aren't turning over 80 grand a week then Burger King is shutting them - it's happened in other parts of the country as well.

Oxford Mail:

"The lease is going back to the landlord at the end of the month."

Following an assessment by the Food Standards Agency, the Burger King branch got the one-star rating, indicating there may have been a number of breaches to food hygiene and a lack of training among staff.

A one-star review on Tripadvisor of a visit in December 2022 was headlined 'Rudest staff ever'.

Another Tripadvisor review said: "Not only did we not get what we ordered, but the service was so slow, the food was almost cold before we received it.

"The bins were full, the tables and floors dirty and the toilets appalling. The toilet doors did not shut, never mind lock, there was no toilet paper, and they were not clean.

READ AGAIN: Burger King reopens but for how long

"The staff were not interested when I tried to tell them my concerns. I would definitely recommend you go elsewhere."

Oxford Mail:

The Burger King branch previously closed in August 2020 and then reopened in October 2021.

When the fast food chain closed the restaurant it said it was quitting the city centre because it could no longer afford the rent being charged on its restaurant.

It is understood that Jesus College is the landlord of the property.

Burger King has faced competition in Oxford from rival chains including McDonald's, Five Guys and Wendy's.

READ AGAIN: Restaurant receives brand new food hygiene rating

When Burger King closed in 2020 a spokesman for commercial property agent AG&G said the chain was concentrating on out of town restaurants.

In April last year the chain announced plans to open 200 more restaurants in the UK by 2026.

The restaurant chain swung to a £33.4m operating profit in 2021, compared with a £7.5m loss in 2020 when restaurants were forced to shut for months at a time due to the Covid pandemic.

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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF