Coronavirus: Blackburn wedding party restaurant can reopen

The gathering at Waheed's on 16 August was dispersed by police

A restaurant which was ordered to close for breaching Covid-19 rules by hosting a wedding reception with more than 100 guests can reopen, a council has said.

Waheed's Buffet and Banqueting Hall in Blackburn, was ordered to close for up to a month after police broke up the party at the venue on 16 August.

However, a Blackburn with Darwen Council review has ruled the Randall Street venue was fit to operate again.

Waheed's manager Abdul Toheed said he was "very pleased to reopen".

Council leader Mohammed Khan said the authority "would only ever enforce a closure order as a last resort" and that both venues had "worked with us to ensure they have all the correct Covid-19 procedures in place".

Roberto's Bar and Bistro in Richmond Terrace, which was ordered to close on the same day, will also be allowed to reopen, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has said.

The bar's owner John Rowe said he was "delighted", as it had been "a very hard and stressful week".

"I am pleased, most of all for the staff, who were terrified they were going to lose their jobs," he added.

Measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, which were imposed on the Blackburn with Darwen area on 14 July, were further tightened on 21 August.