Oadby restaurant closed over Covid wedding party claim

Tipu Sultan, in Oadby, was issued notice to close for at least a month

A restaurant in a town with one of England's highest coronavirus rates has been closed over an alleged failure to comply with social distancing rules.

Tipu Sultan, in Oadby, was issued notice to close for at least a month.

The restaurant's management said a council official believed it was hosting too many people at a wedding party. It denies this assertion.

The council said that given the "rapid rise of cases in the borough" it had "no alternative".

'Lack of social distancing'

The Leicestershire borough of Oadby and Wigston had the second highest seven-day infection rate in England behind Bolton in the week up to 12 September, and fresh restrictions are now in force.

Gary Connors, head of regulatory services for Leicestershire County Council, said it closed the Indian restaurant because of "non-compliance with social distancing", as well as other issues with how the premises were being used.

He said: "The concerns constitute a serious and imminent threat to public health and, given the rapid rise of cases in the borough, we have no alternative but to use our new powers."

Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, which worked with Leicestershire on the closure, said it had been "compiling evidence [on the restaurant] since early August".

"We were able to supply the county council with multiple exhibits relating to the lack of social distancing and failure to comply with Covid regulations," said David Gill, head of law.

He added the council would continue to monitor the premises to ensure no further breaches were identified.

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An assistant manager at the restaurant, who asked to be named as Amir, said the premises had been closed because a council employee believed all individuals seen in the restaurant on one occasion were guests at a wedding.

He said the wedding party present was made up of "no more than 30 people", and the rest of the diners were socially distancing.

He added: "We've been following the guidelines."

The council said the restaurant had the right to appeal against the notice.