Polesworth pub fined £1,000 for breaching Covid regulations following tip off my member of the public

A Polesworth Pub has received a £1,000 fixed penalty notice for breaching Covid-19 regulations after police were tipped off by a member of the public.

The Royal Oak, on Grendon Road, has been given a 'Coronavirus Improvement Notice' after a member of the public raised concerns to Warwickshire Police on the first day of reopening.

Warwickshire Police visited the pub on April 12 to find large groups of people standing together around tables, with no social distancing being observed. This was all captured on the officer's body cams.

The proprietor of the premise was amongst the groups and made no effort to encourage customers to remain in their seats. Officers issued a £1,000 fixed penalty notice.

The notice meant that the pub had to introduce a number of changes by April 20:

- No group of more than six persons to be admitted to the premises.

- Tables located on the premises are rearranged to maintain a distance of at least 2m between them, or 1m where the customers would be sat back to back

- Customers must be reminded to remain seated while consuming food or drink while on the premises

Steve Maxey, chief executive of North Warwickshire Borough Council, said: "It is extremely disappointing that the very clear rules for the hospitality sector reopening have not been implemented by this business.

"As a council we have worked incredibly hard with local businesses to ensure that they are aware of the rules of reopening safely.

"I am pleased however that this incident was reported and with the quick reaction of officers, hopefully this will set an example that we are taking the rules incredibly seriously and have zero tolerance for those found to be breaking them."