Thousands of children have been served meals from school kitchens that have failed to meet food hygiene standards.            

Five schools have been told to improve or face further action from the Food Standards Agency in Scotland.        

They are among 30 establishments in the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley area which have just been named and shamed online for their poor hygiene standards.            

The five schools are:            

* Kilmarnock Academy            

* Loudoun Academy            

* Stewarton Academy            

* Hillhead Primary School            

* Crosshouse Primary School            

Kitchens at Onthank Community Centre and Hurlford Community Centre have also failed.            

The council-run sites have been published on the Internet under a new scheme to allow members of the public to see if the places they are eating are safe.            

Other commercial facilities which haven’t met legal standards include take-aways, cafés, hotels and national chains.            

Log onto www.eac.eu/foodhygiene or www.food.gov.uk/ratings to see full details of every pass and fail in East Ayrshire.