2020

Business ordered to close following covid breaches

Date Posted: 4:58 PM on Fri, 20 November 2020

Officers from Gedling Borough Council have secured a closure order on a business in Gedling following a number of breaches related to covid regulations.

The Mustard Seed in Gedling has been served with an order issued under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act. The order requires the business to close with immediate effect and failure to do so can result in imprisonment, a fine or both. Anyone found entering the premises could also face a fine or imprisonment.

The order was served by Nottinghamshire Police following a visit from council officers to the premises where it appears that the business was open and it had people inside the property, in clear violation of a prohibition order issued to them on Tuesday that stated they could only operate as a takeaway.

The business owner has repeatedly breached covid regulations set out by the government during the lockdown period, which have resulted in them being issued with fines totalling £17,000.

Following the latest intelligence that the business was breaching the regulations, the council’s Legal Team were granted a closure order from Mansfield Magistrates’ Court.

Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke said:

“Following repeated breaches of the notices we served on the Mustard Seed, which clearly stated that they need to follow the guidance and regulations during lockdown, we have no option but to close it down. We have given the owner several chances to do the right thing and they’ve made the decision to ignore our message. Things are now so serious that they risk imprisonment, which nobody wants to see.

Our priority has always been to protect our residents and to support the many businesses that have been affected so badly by this pandemic yet are following the rules. It is clear, that the owner believes that they do not need to adhere to the government guidelines and we are now in this position. We would urge people not to visit the premises, it is closed and we will be monitoring it closely.”

Inspector Chris Pearson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“We all need to play our part to help stop the spread of Coronavirus and keep our local communities safe.

"This closure order shows that no-one is above the law when it comes to that and, working with our partners, we will not hesitate to take action against businesses which persistently flout the regulations set by the Government, putting lives at risk and increasing the risk of the virus spreading.

"We all have an incredibly important responsibility to adhere to the rules to prevent the spread of this deadly disease.

"The vast majority of people are following the rules and we want to thank them for making those personal sacrifices.

"We will continue to work with our partners, including Gedling Borough Council, to tackle this virus and we are committed to ensuring communities are kept safe."

Director for Public Health for Nottinghamshire, Jonathan Gribbin said:

“I wholly support any action by partner organisations that will protect the health and wellbeing of people in Nottinghamshire. The national restrictions in place are there to protect everyone and there are many businesses who are remaining closed despite the challenges this poses for them. To those businesses who work hard to comply with the current restrictions, I want to offer my thanks.  We owe them a debt of gratitude for the consideration they are giving to their local community, for setting aside their immediate interests and concerns in order to keep people safe and to protect our local NHS and care services.  They provide a strong example to us all of what it means to serve your community.”