Peckham nightclub has licence revoked over Covid-19 breaches

On one occasion, more than 45 people were found concealed in Afrikiko's basement area

A nightclub in south London has been stripped of its licence after it ignored coronvarius regulations.

Afrikiko Restaurant and Club in Old Kent Road, Peckham, continued acting as a nightclub and failed to abide by social-distancing rules, police said.

On one occasion, more than 45 people were found in the nightclub's basement, the Met added.

A number of breaches of the venue's licensing conditions were also found to be taking place.

Nightclubs have been shut since coronavirus forced the UK into lockdown in March.

Despite numerous attempts by officers to engage with staff at the premises and encourage them to abide by the new regulations, there were further deliberate breaches, the Met said.

Body worn footage was captured during various police raids between July and September where people could be seen dancing and not social distancing

On 26 September, officers were initially blocked from entering the venue and told no-one was inside. When they gained entry they found more than 45 people in the nightclub's basement area.

Sgt Keith Dempster, said: "As the spread of the virus continues, this type of intervention will become even more important, and the vast majority of Londoners who are abiding by the rules rightly expect us to be doing it.

"We don't want to take away people's livelihoods - we would far rather they engaged with us and operated in a safe way for everyone.

"However, by repeatedly operating as a nightclub, staff and patrons were exposed to a real risk of contracting and spreading coronavirus, which would have affected London's communities.

"Breaching these measures could also play a part in increasing the chance of further lockdown measures being imposed in London that would hurt other businesses."

Following a hearing at Southwark Council Licensing Sub-Committee on Tuesday, Afrikiko Restaurant and Club had its alcohol licence revoked.

It has 21 days to appeal the decision. The club has been contacted for comment.