Plymouth coffee shop fined £42K for Covid breach

The coffee shop had been allowing customers to consume their food and drinks inside

A coffee shop and its two bosses have been ordered to pay more than £42,000 for breaching Covid-19 rules.

Finla Coffee in Plympton, Plymouth, "flagrantly disregarded" public health regulations in continuing to serve customers inside in November 2020.

The district judge at Exeter Magistrates Court said: "They see themselves as a cause celebre but they were a risk to public health."

The cafe, Deanna Yates and Michael Pendlebury were each fined £10,000.

Finla was also ordered to pay £8,221 costs and the two owners were each ordered to pay £2,002 costs.

Pendlebury, 35, of Stannary Lane, Plympton and Yates, 34, also of Stannary Lane, did not enter a plea or appear at the court.

'Numerous complaints'

The firm was fined £1,000 on 6 November and £2,000 on 7 November for breaching regulations on allowing consumption of food and drink indoors, but had refused to pay, the court heard.

The court heard the owners had made a statement saying they were exempt from the regulations, citing Magna Carta.

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Plymouth City Council, which brought the charges against Finla, said it had warned the company on 5 November about breaching regulations.

Nick Lewin, prosecuting, said the council had received "numerous complaints" about coronavirus regulations being "flagrantly disregarded" before 5 November when environmental health officials visited.

But District Judge Rod Hine said arguments relating to Magna Carta were "spurious" and not for the court to decide and said he was "quite satisfied that there was a serial breach of regulations".

He also said the owners had "deliberately failed to comply" with the regulations and it was "despicable" that they had "put others at risk".

He added that the owners had been "cavalier and disrespectful" for not attending the court case.

Pendlebury, Yates and Finla were also ordered to pay £181 victim surcharge making a total sum to be paid of £42,768.

Following the hearing a Plymouth City Council spokesperson said the local authority had tried throughout the pandemic "to engage, to explain, educate and then only as a last resort, to enforce".

The spokesperson said: "Taking court action is the last thing we want to do, but consistent and very public breaches, while all other establishments were at pains to do the right thing just could not be ignored."