London businesses see license revoked following multiple breaches
Two neighbouring west London businesses have had their shutters closed for three months following numerous breaches of the Covid regulations.
The Milan Palace and Tudor Rose in Southall, had their license suspended following a hearing in front of the Ealing License Committee on Monday, 16 November.
In September and October, both venues hosted wedding ceremonies and other events which breached regulations to keep Londoners safe. In addition to the closure, the Tudor Rose was handed a £1,000 fine for one breach and the Milan Palace was handed an approximate fine of £7,000 for three breaches.
Following escalated join action by the Met and Ealing Council, both venues were brought before a licensing committee. The breaches by both venues happened on dates between Friday, 25 September and Sunday, 18 October.
During an event at the Tudor Rose on Tuesday, 13 October, an estimated 100-150 people were in attendance. Likewise, events at the Milan Palace, had more than 60 people attending ceremonies during separate dates.
Chief Superintendent Pete Gardner, West Area policing commander, said: “The brazen actions of these neighbouring venues were completely selfish – they deserve to have their license temporarily stripped for putting their community at risk. Likewise, their attempts to ignore the rules shows utter contempt for the thousands of legitimate businesses across London who have made excellent efforts to keep their business COVID secure.
“This action alongside Ealing Council should be seen as a warning to those other businesses who flout the rules. Repeated breaches will result in escalated enforcement, which could potentially see licenses being revoked.”
Police Sergeant Guy Rooney, said: “I visited both these venues on multiple occasions to warn them that their actions were in breach of the regulations and could result in enforcement. However, they took blatant steps to ignore my instructions, continuing to hold weddings and other ceremonies. It is deeply frustrating to see such a total disregard for the rules, which the vast majority of businesses and Londoners are following to help keep this deadly virus at bay.”
Ealing Council’s regulatory services have been working in conjunction with the police around COVID-19 compliance and have given clear instruction to these and other premises about safely operating within the COVID-19 requirements.
Councillor Joanna Camadoo-Rothwell, Ealing Council cabinet member for community safety and inclusion, said: “Enforcement action will be taken against businesses that do not follow the restrictions placed on them. We all have a responsibility for ensuring we follow the COVID-19 restrictions and work together to ensure the safety of ourselves and others. We will not hesitate in taking appropriate action against those that flout the regulations.”
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