Cafes and restaurants warned not to put tables outside premises after lockdown breach reports
Cafes and restaurants are being warned not to put tables and chairs outside premises after reports to Trading Standards about breaches of Covid regulations.
Shropshire Council said it had received reports that some businesses are breaching the rules which mean they cannot yet put tables and chairs outside for use by customers.
The current roadmap out of lockdown says outdoor areas at cafes and restaurants will not be allowed to reopen before April 12 at the earliest.
Councillor Gwilym Butler, Portfolio Holder for Communities, Place Planning and Regulatory Services said: “We understand the difficulties faced by our hospitality businesses over the last year and that in many cases business owners are desperate to boost their ability to trade; however, we have only just moved into Step 1 of the ‘roadmap’ at the beginning of this week and there is no change for hospitality businesses until at least the middle of April.
“I urge businesses not to jeopardise the Government’s roadmap plans and to stick with the rules until the green light is given for outdoor areas to reopen.
"The public health data is encouraging with the Covid rates across Shropshire reducing, but we are far from being out of the woods yet and it is imperative that all businesses continue to comply with the restrictions to secure as smooth a journey out of lockdown as possible.”
Frances Darling, head of Trading Standards at the council said: “It is disappointing to hear that a small minority of businesses are choosing to ignore the current restrictions and we are dealing with these in line with our better regulation and enforcement policy.
"It is not acceptable for us to allow this type of behaviour to go unchecked as ultimately it will undermine the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and my officers have a significant responsibility to ensure this does not happen.
“Enforcement action is always a last resort and we will engage with businesses, explain and encourage them to comply with the restrictions before taking formal action; however, I wish to stress that we will take formal action if all other approaches fail.”
