Covid: Manchester café ordered to close for breaching rules
A café which repeatedly failed to observe Covid safety rules has been ordered to shut for three months.
The closure order has been made against Kate and Luc Café and Restaurant in Burnage by Manchester magistrates. Manchester City Council said it and police had received frequent complaints about the owners' failure to enforce social distancing rules, with staff not always wearing face masks. The café cannot reopen until 9 May and its owners must pay costs of £3,586.52. A council spokesman said the café, in Burnage Lane, was first warned in November about the lack of face coverings. Last month it was issued with an improvement notice after complaints from the public that staff were still not wearing them. Food was still being served to customers inside, rather than being offered only for takeaway as the law currently allows. No efforts to enforce social distancing were being made either. The owners also failed to install protective plastic screens to create a barrier between staff and customers. Further advice was ignored, leading to fines and a warning that it could be forced to close. 'Disruption' On Sunday, police dispersed a "sizeable group of customers" from the café after reports of disorder. Council and police applied for a three-month closure notice because of the "excessive disruption" caused by the café remaining open, the abuse aimed at council staff and police and the clear threat to public health posed by the owners' actions. Lucjan Domanski and Katarzyan Korzewnikow Domanska did not attend the magistrates' hearing on Wednesday. Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar said: "The behaviour of the owners of this café has gone so far beyond what is acceptable the closure of this premises was the only route left open for us. "Hundreds of other businesses have adapted and put in place procedures to keep their customers safe but the same cannot be said for Kate and Luc's." He said council staff and police officers had been verbally abused. Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service Manchester City Council Greater Manchester Police