Northumberland pub ordered to close following number of coronavirus rule breaches

The Castle, in Woodhorn Road, Ashington, has been ordered to close for 14 days after being served with a direction notice on Tuesday, October 13.

It comes following a visit by Northumbria Police officers on Saturday night who raised concerns with the council around groups of multiple households sitting together and no social distancing between individuals or groups.

Police also found inadequate track and trace details being collected and a failure to ensure all customers had ‘checked in.’

People were also found to be without face coverings around the venue, or not wearing face covering correctly.

The pub was one of a number of venues visited by police on Saturday night as officers carry out routine visits to businesses to ensure they follow the coronavirus regulations.

While the majority are found to be operating with good management processes in place, a small number of businesses have been found not to be meeting the required standards and increasing the risk of the spread of the infection.

Bedlington pub The Wharton Arms was the first in the county to close after being served with a direction notice on Tuesday, October 6.

The Castle’s closure will be reviewed in seven days and the licensee has the opportunity to appeal.

Councillor John Riddle, cabinet member with responsibility for public protection said: “It is disappointing another venue has fallen well below standard.

“The safety of the county and all of its residents remains our highest priority, and we want to work with all businesses to help them through this difficult time.

“However, as we showed last week and again now we won’t hesitate to take strong enforcement action where we find traders clearly breaching the regulations and putting lives at risk.”

Superintendent Craig Metcalfe, of Northumbria Police, added: “We will continue to support our local authority partners around their engagement and enforcement activity with businesses.

“We all have a responsibility to reduce the spread of coronavirus in our region and we will continue to engage with the public about the restrictions.

"However, along with our partners, we are committed to taking appropriate action where necessary to protect our communities.”

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