A restaurant which hosted a 100-strong wedding reception despite a local lockdown forbidding large gatherings has been shut down by the council.
Waheed’s Buffet and Banqueting Hall in Blackburn, Lancashire, was condemned by police for a ‘significant breach’ of lockdown restrictions after a wedding reception was reported on Sunday.
The restaurant has since allegedly been shut down for breaching social distancing measures as officers found the venue packed with people making the most of the Government’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme.
Blackburn with Darwen Council yesterday ordered Waheed’s to close its doors to prevent a risk of infection.
Waheed’s Buffet and Banqueting Hall in Blackburn, Lancashire, was condemned by police for a ‘significant breach’ of lockdown restrictions after a wedding reception was reported on Sunday. Pictured, managers Abdul and Siema Toheed outside the restaurant
On Facebook, Blackburn and Darwen Police said the incident was ‘disappointing’ but added that the gathering was dispersed without any further issue
Abdul Toheed, manager at Waheed’s, told the Lancashire Post: ‘I am very upset with what has happened. We have followed the guidelines and have gone above and beyond what was expected.
‘To be told we can’t now cater for our customers is upsetting. I hope we will be able to open up again soon.’
The restaurant claimed a large gathering of people found in its banqueting hall were individual customers and did ‘not all come together’.
Posting on Facebook, it said: ‘We are at the heart of the local community and can unexpectedly become very busy. The customers who came as part of the event did not all come together.
‘As the number of customers grew, we moved some of the customers into our banqueting hall.’
Police chiefs slammed Sunday’s wedding reception as a ‘significant breach’ of restrictions that put people ‘at risk’. Waheed’s posted a video on its Facebook page of the venue being cleaned
The restaurant has been closed with immediate effect and it is not known for how long it will remain shuttered.
It comes a day after workers sprayed down the venue after it was raided by police responding to reports of a large gathering.
Police chiefs later slammed the event as a ‘significant breach’ of restrictions that put people ‘at risk’.
Yesterday bosses at Waheed’s posted a video of a hazmat suited worker spraying down chairs and tables at the venue – described on its own website as an Indian fine-dinning restaurant and wedding reception venue.
Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods, from Lancashire Police, yesterday told BBC Radio Lancashire: ‘The event was at a premises called Waheed’s Buffet and Banqueting Hall on Randall Street, in Blackburn.
‘We attended there and we found between 100 and 120 people, we think, who admitted with the owners of that place that it was a wedding reception.
‘As we’ve said all along, we will enforce and we did. The vast bulk of those people were asked to leave.
‘They were very compliant. But in effect that wedding reception was closed down and what remained was a small number of people.
‘And today, further action is going to be considered with the local authority in relation to that premises about what we can do to stop that happening again.’
DCC Woods, who said the incident made him feel ‘gutted’, added: ‘We know it’s hard but what we will do is name and shame places that flout the regulations to this sort of extent and there will be consequences for those sorts of places.’
Officers broke up the event at Waheed’s Buffet and Banqueting Hall in Blackburn on Sunday, which breached strict local lockdown rules banning large gatherings
In a Facebook post, Blackburn and Darwen Police said officers engaged with those attending the wedding reception and the gathering was dispersed without any further issue.
The post said: ‘This is a clear breach of both local and national restrictions that puts everyone attending at risk.’
Police added that the incident was ‘disappointing’ and asked the public to continue to work with authorities to keep ‘everyone safe’.
Meanwhile, Councillor Phil Riley, Executive Member for Growth and Development, at Darwen Borough Council said: ‘We are aware of this incident at a wedding reception on Sunday night and are working closely with the police on enforcement measures.
Yesterday, bosses at Waheed’s posted a video of a hazmat suited worker spraying down chairs and tables at the venue
‘This was a breach of the current restrictions that state that only 30 people can attend a wedding and we are taking this incredibly seriously.
‘Most businesses in our borough comply with the regulations that are intended to keep people safe.
‘It is incredibly disappointing when we have to take action against businesses who flout the rules.
‘We are unable to comment on actions being taken in specific cases at the moment, but the Council won’t allow venues to put people’s safety at risk. This is having an effect on everybody in the town.’
It comes as a fixed penalty notice was also issued to an organiser of a wedding with more than 50 guests and a marquee in Greater Manchester.
Both areas are subject to local restrictions to prevent people socialising with other households following a spike in coronavirus cases.
Blackburn has local lockdown laws in place to curb a rapid rise in coronavirus cases, preventing people from visiting other households in their homes or private gardens.
Wedding receptions are currently banned in Blackburn under the new rules, with wedding ceremonies only permitted with a maximum of 30 guests.
The Manchester wedding, which took place in Whalley Range, was one of 54 reported coronavirus breaches between 3pm and 11pm on Sunday in Greater Manchester, police said.
Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Ian Pilling said: ‘Following large gatherings on both Friday and Saturday night, we have had to attend further events yesterday evening.
‘We’ve been really open with the public about the pressure these calls place on already stretched and limited resources and I really need people to understand what is at stake here.
‘Can you imagine a vulnerable loved one not being able to get through to 999 when in an emergency, because our phone lines are tied up with people reporting illegal parties? It’s this serious.’
A fixed penalty notice was issued to an organiser of a wedding with more than 50 guests and a marquee in Greater Manchester, as the gathering broke strict local lockdown rules (file photo)
Local lockdown restrictions will remain in Greater Manchester for at least another week as evidence does not show a decrease in the number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the area.
The rules state that residents are not allowed to visit someone else’s home or garden or socialise with people they do not live with in other indoor spaces.
Wedding receptions and ceremonies are also not yet allowed to resume, as exhibition and conference centres also remain closed.
DCC Pilling added: ‘I feel we’ve been really fair with the public, engaging and explaining with them and only enforcing as a last resort.
‘However, these blatant breaches continue and we owe it to our communities to thoroughly investigate these types of reports and prosecute those involved. We will continue to enforce when there is a blatant disregard for the rules.
‘We understand that the vast majority of people across Greater Manchester are doing the right thing and it’s incredibly disappointing that these people are being continuously let down by a small majority, who are selfishly flouting the very guidance that is there to keep us safe. I want to thank those who are doing their bit.’
MailOnline has contacted Waheed’s Buffet and Banquet Hall and Blackburn with Darwen Council for a comment.