Wakefield restaurant drinks licence suspended over breach

The licensing committee had the power to take the restaurant's licence away but opted for a suspension instead

A restaurant where people were seen partying during lockdown has lost its licence to serve alcohol for three months.

The Capri@TheVine in Leeds Road, Wakefield, was given an on-the-spot fine of £100 after more than 20 people were seen partying outside on 25 May.

The suspension was decided earlier by a meeting of Wakefield Council's licensing committee.

The owner had apologised "profusely", the meeting was told.

Mohammed Karimi,the owner, showed a disregard for lockdown rules and public safety, and failed to implement social distancing, the meeting was told.

CCTV secured by council officers, showed more than 20 people in the beer garden buying and drinking beer, dancing and partying in close proximity to each other. Children were also present.

The restaurant has since introduced meticulous social distancing and hygiene measures, the owner's representative said, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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Andrew Garthwaite, for West Yorkshire Police, told the meeting: "What was promoted was something [that] under ordinary circumstances may well have been fine.

"But these are not ordinary circumstances, we are in the middle of a global pandemic."

The event lasted for about four hours from 16:00 BST, he said.

Paul Dean, a council officer, said the owner had clearly known the government's lockdown measures and had "showed blatant disregard to public safety".

The lockdown regulations were not lifted until 4 July, he added.

Mr Karimi said in a statement: "We can assure you that we have learnt our lesson and this will not happen again."

The committee's decision will come into force within 21 days.

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