Covid-19: Sheffield takeaways fined for breaking 10pm curfew

Half of the takeaway businesses fined were on London Road in Sheffield

Eight takeaways in Sheffield have been fined £1,000 within the last seven days for breaching the 22:00 BST curfew.

Half of those outlets were located on London Road, with the rest dotted across the city, Sheffield City Council said.

The notices were served following spot checks by licensing officers and tip offs from the public.

South Yorkshire is in the "high" category on the Covid-19 three-tier scale, with new restrictions in place.

The government introduced the curfew for pubs, bars and restaurants in England following a recent increase in cases of coronavirus.

'No excuse'

Sheffield City Council said the businesses were issued fixed penalty notices after they "ignored the advice and warning letters" outlining information on the latest restrictions, which were sent to hospitality venues across the city.

The authority's head of licensing Steve Lonnia said: "There is no excuse for any business to breach the rules which are in place to keep people safe, prevent the spread of infection and keep our city open.

"We will continue to monitor and investigate businesses to make sure they are doing their bit and in the case of takeaways, unless they comply with the 10pm curfew and the regulations with regards to delivery and collections we will be forced to take further action."

He said licensing officers were "following up on several other premises" that were at risk of enforcement action "if they are found to be non-compliant".

Greg Fell, director of public health in Sheffield, stressed "the seriousness of our situation" and said: "Given the increasing rate of infection it is more important than ever that businesses stick to the current guidance.

"We want the city to remain open and the only way this can happen is if we all play our part."

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