The Grill Garden on Stoke Road has been hit with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice after being found by council officers to be open during lockdown
Officers from the council’s licensing team and Thames Valley Police visited Grill Garden, at 110 Stoke Road on 13 November 2020 and found the business open as a restaurant with eight customers eating food together in the basement lounge area of the premises.
During lockdown, under The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No.4) Regulations 2020, all food businesses should only be open for collection and takeaway.
The fixed penalty notice was formally served yesterday (26 November 2020) and is required to be paid within 28 days.
If the business continues to operate outside the regulations, further penalty notices can be served with the financial level rising for each occasion – from £1,000, to £2,000, then £4,000, then £10,000.
Councillor Pavitar K Mann, lead member for planning and regulation, said: “With covid 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.”
The council’s covid officers and members of the food and safety team are investigating all complaints about businesses alleged to be breaching covid regulations and lockdown as well as proactively contacting businesses to ensure they are aware and educated about the regulations and how to comply with them. If you wish to raise an issue about a local business please email foodandsafety@slough.gov.uk