Café’s seating against rules?

I ENJOYED reading your recent (April 28) two-page spread headlined “Brave owners who took the plunge in the middle of a pandemic”, referring to the opening of the Dark Horse café in Mumbles.

The one thing not mentioned in the article but much commented on by the people who live in Mumbles is the decision by the owners to set up tables in the gutter outside the café where customers were (and will soon be again) invited to drink coffee and alcohol.

Locals see this as not only as a loss of precious parking spaces in the area but also as a breach of Covid social distancing regulations both between those who enjoy drinking at the gutter tables but also and more importantly for local residents for pedestrians on the pavement between those tables and the café door. This is not only a breach of Covid regulations but particularly hazardous for blind and physically handicapped pedestrians.

When approached by both the local AM and the MP for Gower asking why they have approved these arrangements, Swansea Council’s highways department gave two reasons: the café has no outside seating area and the approval is temporary.

Three questions arise: how temporary is temporary? How many other hospitality premises not only in Swansea but across the whole of Wales are SUFHAVING

fering from a loss of outside seating? Does the Senedd approve of something which is against its regulations?

M GEORGE via email