A nightclub that repeatedly flouted warnings to stop breaching Covid laws has been forced to shut down after authorities were ‘left with no confidence’ that those in charge could comply with the law.
The Incense Lounge in Enfield, north London, was visited by police and council officers in September last year and found to be operating as a nightclub and shisha bar, serving alcohol and playing music.
In October, police found a large group of people inside the venue with no social distancing, while on another occasion the shutters were pulled down to conceal what was going on inside.
The venue was finally taken to court by Enfield Council this month after it continued to stay open despite being served with enforcement notices.
The Incense Lounge in Enfield, north London, was visited by police and council officers in September last year
Under coronavirus guidelines, shisha bars are required to close amid the lockdown.
However the venues can continue to provide food and non-alcoholic drinks on a takeaway basis – between 5am and 11pm.
This means customers are able to enter the venues to collect their orders or can also be provided with their food and drinks via a drive through.
Food and non-alcoholic drinks can also be provided by the venues through delivery services.
A court has now ordered that the Incense Lounge immediately close for three months after risking public health in the flagrant double-breach.
The venue was also ordered to pay more than £4,000 to the council and handed a closure order at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on February 10.
This was granted under section 80 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
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Cllr George Savva, cabinet member for licensing and regulatory services at Enfield Council, said: ‘Enfield Council repeatedly visited these premises to advise the directors on what they needed to do to operate legally and safely.
‘But the licensing officers were left with no confidence that those in charge were capable of complying with the law.
Enfield Council were left with no confidence that those in charge were capable of complying with the law. Pictured: The bar inside the nightclub
The Incense Lounge was ordered to pay more than £4,000 to the council and handed a closure order
‘There appeared to be a deliberate disregard of Covid-19 regulations and licensing laws which risked the health of the wider public.
‘I would like to thank the police, licensing officers and the council’s legal team for working hard to protect the people of Enfield and ultimately, preventing the further spread of coronavirus.’
It comes as Boris Johnson faces mounting pressure to speed up the easing of lockdown after he yesterday suggested pubs, bars and restaurants will be the final parts of the economy allowed to fully reopen.
It is thought lockdown rules could be eased at four-weekly intervals after a ‘limited’ loosening at the Easter holiday, with the hospitality sector likely having to wait until early May for the green light to resume restricted trading.
Earlier today Britain’s coronavirus plummeted to its lowest levels since September, official data revealed.
Figures from the Department of Health showed the UK recorded 12,057 new infections in the last 24 hours, marking a 10.6 per cent drop from last Thursday.
Another 454 deaths were also announced, a 33 per cent fall on last week.
Data from Public Health England also revealed cases among school-age children plunged to 86.2 infections per 100,000 people, a rate which hasn’t been recorded since the seven-days to September 26.
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