£1,000 fine dished out
Slough: Grill Garden punished for violating lockdown by opening as restaurant
A restaurant in Slough has been fined £1,000 for flouting lockdown laws and allowing customers to dine in.
Officers from the council’s licensing team and Thames Valley Police visited The Grill Garden, in Stoke Road, on November 13 and discovered the business open as a restaurant with eight people eating food together in the basement.
Current coronavirus restrictions only allow food businesses to open for collection and takeaway.
A fixed penalty notice was formally served to the venue on Thursday, November 26 and if the business is found to ignore the rules again, further fines up to £10,000 can be issued.
Councillor Pavitar K Mann, cabinet member for planning and regulation, said: “With COVID-19 rates so high, everyone in Slough needs to be acting responsibly and within the regulations, not just for themselves but for their families and communities.
“To have business owners or managers acting in a cavalier manner, breaching the regulations with no reasonable excuse is not only offensive but dangerous.
“This may be the first such notice we have served in Slough but it should serve as a warning to any business who is putting their own interests above those of our residents; we can and will take action and will not hesitate to do so.”
Slough Borough Council said its COVID-19 officers and food and safety team are investigating all complaints about businesses alleged to be breaching COVID-19 regulations.
Email foodandsafety@ slough.gov.uk to report.