A restaurant has shut down by Bolton Council for not complying with COVID-19 regulations – the first premises in the borough to be closed under new powers.
The authority has served a Direction Notice on Grillaz, on Derby Street, ordering it to close from 5pm today until further notice. See the Public Health - grounds for direction.
The enforcement action comes after the restaurant failed to implement social distancing controls outside the premises, despite repeated visits and a final warning.
Concerns about the venue breaching the rules were reported by local residents and councillors.
The council and police visited the business several times in the last week, and found overcrowded premises, tables seating groups adjacent to each other, and no queue management.
Advice and guidance were provided on several occasions to help the restaurant comply with regulations.
A visit on August 17 found that while the owners had made efforts to implement social distancing inside the business, no measures to tackle queue management outside the premises were in place. The restaurant was issued with a final warning the following day.
A visit yesterday (August 19) found the issue of social distancing outside the business had not been resolved - leaving authorities with no option but to serve the closure direction.
This notice will be reviewed by the council every seven days.
Cllr Hilary Fairclough, Executive Cabinet Member for Environment Services Regulatory, said: “This business was given numerous chances to get its house in order and work with us.
“Our officers spent a lot of time visiting and advising the restaurant but they continued to put people’s lives at risk with reckless practices.
“We do not take the decision to close a business down lightly but the health of our residents has to come first.
“With so much support and guidance available to help businesses open safely and responsibly, there can be no excuse for this flagrant disregard for the COVID-19 regulations.
“Additional restrictions have been imposed on Bolton for a reason and these will continue if businesses and individuals continue to act as though the rules don’t apply to them.
“The council, working with our partners in the police, will take a zero-tolerance approach to any business that acts in this way.”
Superintendent Rick Jackson of GMP’s Bolton District stressed the importance of businesses complying with the regulations.
He said: “It is extremely important that food establishments adhere to latest government regulations as the health and safety of the communities across Greater Manchester is paramount.
“We will act swiftly in taking action against businesses that are failing to comply with the regulations and will use our powers and legislation to their full to ensure premises operate safely.
“I hope that other food establishments will take note of the closure and understand that we will enforce if they do not comply with the latest regulations.”
The council has previously closed down a vape shop and is actively monitoring breaches of coronavirus regulations in different business sectors across the borough.