Second Pontardawe bar fined £1,000 for serving customers against COVID rules

A bar found serving alcohol to customers late in the evening on the day Welsh Government rules came in restricting alcohol sales and shutting pubs early, has been fined £1,000.

Around seven to eight people were drinking at the Sports Bar 98 in Herbert Street, Pontardawe, after 9.00pm on  December 4th , 2020, when under Welsh Government rules it should have shut more than three hours earlier at 6pm.

The £1,000 fixed penalty notice was issued to the responsible person at the premises after a visit by the Joint Enforcement Team consisting of Neath Port Talbot Council licensing officers and colleagues from South Wales Police.

The offence was contrary to the Welsh Government’s Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No.4) (Wales) Regulations 2020

Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Public Protection, Cllr Leanne Jones, said: “Licensees must comply with the current restrictions aimed at reducing coronavirus infection rates which we all know are significantly high across Neath Port Talbot, Wales and the UK.

“This latest fixed penalty notice – the second issued to a licensed premises recently in Pontardawe – shows the council is taking a robust and positive approach to enforcing non-compliance particularly when it comes to a minority who are openly ignoring restrictions aimed at keeping our communities safe.

“We as a council will continue to work with licensed premises and their owners to ensure as much as possible that obligations and responsibilities are being complied with in line with Welsh Government rules”.

South Wales Police Superintendent Mark Brier added: “We all have a part to play in helping to slow the spread of the virus, and the vast majority of people are taking that responsibility seriously. 

“However, the minority who aren’t are placing themselves, their loved ones and the wider community at risk, and this cannot be tolerated. 

“Our Joint Enforcement Teams (JET) are committed to working together to encourage and ensure compliance with Welsh Government regulations. Those blatantly or repeatedly breaching the restrictions can expect enforcement action to be taken against them.”

(Lead image: Pixabay / Pexels.com)