Covid-19: Droitwich card shop owners defiant on lockdown breach

Alasdair and Lydia Walker-Cox repeatedly refused to close Grace Cards and Books

The owners of a card shop who were fined more than £35,000 for breaking Covid lockdown restrictions still think it was the right thing to do.

Grace Cards and Books in Droitwich, Worcestershire, remained open in November 2020, despite rules requiring non-essential businesses to close.

Footage of police officers warning Alasdair and Lydia Walker-Cox circulated widely on social media.

They have yet to pay their fines and said they would appeal a court ruling.

Following warnings, Mr and Mrs Walker-Cox were initially handed a £1,000 fixed penalty notice. However they received four other fines when they continued to remain open.

In all, these came to just over £35,000 and at a court hearing in August they were ordered to pay the sum, along with almost £9,000 in legal fees and a £190 victim surcharge.

Mrs Walker-Cox said their decision 12 months ago was "the right thing to do," adding they had "family to feed, bills to pay".

She said the business did not make enough money to pay the fines and described them as "disproportionate".

"We've had a business here for 31 years now and we wanted to maintain that business and if we'd been closed for the 22 months that we were told to close for then those customers of ours would have found other places to go to," Mrs Walker-Cox said.

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A second national lockdown was introduced by government in November 2020 amid a surge in Covid-19 cases. Financial compensation schemes were also extended.

During the lockdowns, shops which sold essential goods and services were allowed to remain open, but a district judge at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court said Mr and Mrs Walker-Cox's business did not qualify.

The couple had argued the shop should be exempt because it sold sweets and soft drinks.

Mrs Walker-Cox said over the last year there had been "one or two haters", but most of their customers had been loyal and shown their support.

She described them as "golden nuggets".

Asked if she would make the same decision again, she said: "To be in independent retail is hard graft, it's hard work, I'm just hoping that it never happens again, let's put it like that."