We have visited the café again today with the support of the police and after observing customers in the premises and using the seating areas outside, have this afternoon issued a £1,000 Fixed Penalty Notice for breaching Covid restrictions. This specifically relates to the use of seating areas.
We have also served another Fixed Penalty Notice for obstruction to a director of the café under the same regulations which requires them to pay £400 within 28 days.
This action is an escalation from yesterday’s prohibition notice and fixed penalty notice served under The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations 2020 which requires them to stop selling food or drink for consumption on the premises, including seating outside. Failure to comply is an offence and punishable by an unlimited fine in a Magistrates court.
During our first visit yesterday we reminded the café operators of their duty to comply with laws concerning Covid restrictions during the lockdown.
If a business breaches Covid restrictions, they face a £1,000 Fixed Penalty Notice for the first breach. The fine for a second breach is £2000, a third breach is £4000 and a fourth, and any subsequent breach is £10,000.
Anyone issued with a penalty notice may be prosecuted for the offence if he or she asks to be tried for the offence or fails to pay the penalty within the period set out in the notice and the prosecutor decides to proceed with charges.
Director for Public Health Ruth Harrell said: “These restrictions, which are embedded in the law, have been brought in as part of a concerted effort to stop the spread of a virus that has killed over 48,000 people in this country alone.
“Plymouth largely escaped the first wave of the pandemic but the signs are not so good this time round, and the numbers of people being admitted to hospital are rising.
“We would like to thank the vast majority of businesses in Plymouth that are doing their bit to stop the virus spreading by following the Government’s instructions and taking all the measures necessary to keep people safe and we would like to assure you that we are using the tools available to us, working with the police, against any businesses who are not compliant.”