Instow pub fined £4,000 for breaching coronavirus restrictions
A Devon pub has been told to pay £4,000 after breaching covid-19 regulations.
Police received complaints from members of the public about behaviour in the Wayfarer Inn, in Instow, on December 18.
When officers visited the premises they found it was not being run in a covid safe manner.
The breaches found by officers were:
Not having tables of different households adequately spaced
Tables with persons from several different households sitting at them
Not checking that groups attending were from the same household
As a result, North Devon Council served the pub two Fixed Penalty Notices of £1,000 each.
A further two fines of £1,000 each were issued on December 19 when police made a follow- up visit and found subsequent breaches.
Devon is currently under Tier 2 restrictions meaning people can only meet socially with friends and family indoors whom they live with or have formed a support bubble with unless a legal exemption applies.
It is the latest pub to face action for breaching Covid regulations following similar incidents in Torbay and North Devon.
North Devon Council Leader Cllr David Worden says: "We are grateful for the vigilance of our residents who report incidents of Covid breaches to us, which we are then able to follow up with the police. With the Covid infection rate rising in North Devon, incidents such as this not only put individuals at risk but also put the premises at risk of enforcement action.
This joint action with our police colleagues proves how seriously we are taking breaches of this legislation. It is there to save lives and we will not hesitate to act on any reports of people breaking the law and putting our local community at risk."
Sup Int Toby Davies said the vast majority of premises and businesses are respecting regulations but a minority had been "flagrantly disregarding" the rules.