Kettering: Restaurant director fined £5K over Covid breach

One police officer said around 27 guests attended the wedding on 15 May 2021 while Covid-19 restrictions were in place

The director of a restaurant which flouted Covid regulations by hosting a wedding has been fined £5,000.

Wanda Trela-Pyzalska, from The Tavern & Restaurant in Bath Road, Kettering, pleaded guilty to breaching the rules.

She was fined after a hearing at Wellingborough Magistrates' Court.

David Brackenbury, from North Northamptonshire Council, which brought the prosecution, said the legislation had been in place to "minimise risk of spreading the virus".

The court heard Ms Trela-Pyzalska had failed to follow coronavirus controls in place at the time, as governed by health protection regulations.

In April 2021, the venue had applied to North Northamptonshire Council for a "temporary event notice" to host a wedding on 15 May 2021.

Such events were prohibited by the Covid regulations.

When the council informed Ms Trela-Pyzalska of the rules, the event notice was withdrawn.

However, when Northamptonshire Police visited the premises on the date in question they found a wedding celebration was taking place.

One officer counted 27 people in attendance.

Mr Brackenbury, the council's executive member for regeneration, said the authority was "aware the hospitality industry has been hit hard by the pandemic and the rules have been difficult, but the legislation in place at the time was clear".

The authority's Conservative leader, Jason Smithers, added that such prosecutions would only take place "if all other options have been exhausted".

Assistant Chief Constable Simon Blatchly, from Northamptonshire Police, added that rules "around large gatherings were very clear at the time of this offence and had been shared with the business prior to this event".

He said most businesses had abided by the rules "so it's right those people who so flagrantly broke the law are pursued in the courts".

Ms Trela-Pyzalska was also ordered to pay costs of £1,050 at the hearing on 4 January.