Takeaway that was slapped with one London’s very first £1,000 Covid curfew fines insists it sold burger to customer at 10pm before he walked away FOUR MINUTES later
- Bim’s Burgers in Ilford, was fined £1,000 last night for breaking curfew rules
- The restaurant took an order at exactly 10pm but the customer stayed inside
- Staff were under the impression they could take orders up to the 10pm cut off
A Burger takeaway in London has been fined £1,000 for serving a customer just four minutes after curfew at 10.04pm last night.
Bim’s Burgers on Ilford Lane in Ilford was slapped with the charge after police found it had allowed a single customer to order at exactly 10pm and passed over the food 240 seconds later.
Under the coronavirus rules brought in by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on September 24, all customers must out of hospitality venues by 10pm.
The restaurant was issued the fine on the spot but a spokesperson said staff were under the impression they could take orders up to the 10pm cut off.
Bim’s Burgers on Ilford Lane in Ilford was slapped with a £1,000 fine after police found it had allowed a single customer to order at exactly 10pm and passed over the food 240 seconds later
Redbridge MPS said: ‘Bims Burger [sic], Ilford Lane breached COVID-19 restrictions by having one customer inside the premises waiting for his takeaway meal.
‘On looking at his receipt he was served 10pm on the dot and staff were not handing him his food until 10.04pm.
‘The supervisor on shift was issued a £1000 FPN on behalf of the owner.’
A spokesperson for Bim’s Burgers said staff were under the impression that if an order came before 10pm, they could serve a customer.
A spokesperson for Bim’s Burgers said staff were under the impression that if an order came before 10pm, they could serve a customer
The spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We very much regret that our staff breached the Government’s 10pm curfew.
‘Our staff were under the impression that if an order was placed before 10pm it could still be served.
‘The food took less than four minutes to arrive and he left at 10.04 pm.
‘Our staff were then shocked to be informed that they had breached the new laws by a matter of four minutes.
‘New rules regarding Covid-19 are being made thick and fast and sometimes it isn’t clear exactly how they should be interpreted.’
Bim’s Burgers added that the minor mistake was made ‘in good faith’ and that the company would have expected a warning rather than the fine given the circumstances.
The restaurant said: ‘Under the circumstances we think it would have been reasonable for us to receive a verbal warning as opposed to a £1000 fine, which amounted to an astonishing £250 per minute.
‘Had we served a customer at 10.15 or even later then without doubt this fine would have been fully justified.
‘We have always complied with the law and have carefully observed social distancing rules and the wearing of masks. This was just an unfortunate mistake.
‘However, we respect the police operation and our staff will obviously take greater care in future to continue to abide by the law.’
Two other restaurants were fined in Ilford last night: Fireaway Pizza on Ley Street, which was fined £1,000 for serving a customer at 10.20pm, and Spice on High Street.
On the second weekend since the new coronavirus rules were introduced in England, police have issued fines up and down the country for various breaches.
In Liverpool, a club was fined £1,000 for not enforcing social distancing measures.
Baltic Triangle club 24 Kitchen Street was fined after officers noted social distancing was not being observed at the venue at about 8.25pm on Friday.
Merseyside Police reported tables with more than six people gathered around them, customers walking around the bar area without face coverings, people drinking and gathered where there was no table, meaning table service rules could not be adhered to, and a lack of social distancing in the smoking area.
Chief Inspector Karl Baldwin said: ‘It is extremely disappointing that for the second weekend in a row we have been forced to issue a fine because a premises has failed in its obligations to act responsibly at a critical time for this city.
‘We have seen cases of coronavirus rise rapidly in Merseyside in recent weeks, and restrictions have increased as a result in an effort to curb the rise.
‘It is therefore totally unacceptable that anyone should disregard the very real threat posed by coronavirus in this way, and allow large groups to gather in such close proximity.’
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