Two pubs served with Improvement Notices

Two pubs served with Improvement Notices over the weekend have been given 48 hours to ensure the necessary measures are in place to help minimise the risk of exposure to coronavirus.

The King Alfred Inn in Commercial Street, Maesteg, received the notice after concerns over a lack of social distancing between customers, customers ordering drinks at the bar, more than six people at tables, people from different households sat around tables and the music being very loud.

The Green Meadow Inn, Llangeinor, was also served the notice due to a lack of social distancing in the pub and customers not wearing masks while walking to the toilets or playing pool.

Enforcement officers carry out Covid-19 compliance checks in a rolling programme across the different trade sectors, including the licensed trade. In identifying premises that need to be prioritised for visits, officers will take into account complaints and concerns raised by members of the public.

As part of their inspections, officers from the Shared Regulatory Services provide support and advice to help businesses meet their responsibilities in keeping staff and customers safe.

With cases of coronavirus increasing across the county borough, ensuring these measures are being taken is a vital part of helping to keep residents safe.

Councillor Dhanisha Patel, the Bridgend County Borough Council cabinet member whose portfolio includes Shared Regulatory Services

Welsh Government regulations require people responsible for premises to take all reasonable measures to ensure that a two-metre distance can be maintained between people who are on the premises or are waiting to go in to the premises, and to provide information to anyone entering or working there on how to minimise the risk of exposure to coronavirus.

They must also take other reasonable measures to minimise the risk of exposure, primarily by improving hygiene and minimising face-to-face interaction, especially in situations where two-metre distancing isn’t possible.

Premises Improvement Notices specify the measures that need to be taken in order to meet the regulations within a certain time limit, usually 48 hours.

If the premises fail to comply, enforcement officers can issue a Premises Closure Notice, requiring the premises, or part of it, to be closed for up to 14 days. In some circumstances, enforcement officers will also be able to close the premises immediately without having served an improvement notice, but this would only be where there has been a sufficiently serious breach of regulations.