Seven more Bridgend businesses fail to follow coronavirus rules

BRIDGEND Council has issued warnings to seven more businesses in the area for breaching coronavirus regulations.

The Shared Regulatory Service (SRS) gave improvement notices to a catering van and six takeaway restaurants because the staff were caught working without face masks between February 02 and 03.

Council workers served an improvement notice The Munch Box, Western Avenue, Bridgend Industrial Estate on Tuesday, February 02.

A spokesperson for the Council said staff and customers were not wearing masks “at all times” and staff failed to clean their hands after handling cash.

Documents on the SRS website show staff were caught working at each of the following premises without wearing face masks on Wednesday, February 03:

Delhi Spice, Nolton St, and Raj Balti  Nolton Street, both in Bridgend;

Taste of India, Family Grill, The Charcoal Grill, The Charcoal Grill and Ray’s Indian Kitchen, all in Commercial St, Maesteg

Mr Miah, manager of Taste of India, said:

“At the time of visit the shop was not open and the staff was getting ready for their shift.

“The staff normally wear masks especially those in the kitchen preparing food. There are masks available for all the staff.

“As the manager, I normally make sure that they are wearing masks and everything is clean and ready for opening this is done before I start my shift before 5 pm.

“We provide masks and sanitisers to be used all the time as well as keeping a distance from one another.

“We understand how contagious this virus can be and assure you that we follow strict covid safety precautions at Taste of India such as having a screen protector on the bar, all staff wearing a mask, washing hands regularly, sanitising facilities available for both staff and customers, two customers allowed at a time, we clean the premises before opening, during and at the end of a shift.”

The SRS, a partnership between South Wales Police and Bridgend, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan councils, carries out checks on licensed premises to ensure they comply with government guidelines.

The SRS has issued 64 improvement notices to businesses in Bridgend county borough and temporarily closed four for breaching Welsh Government coronavirus rules.

The service has also given 49 notices to businesses in Cardiff and 43 to businesses in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Businesses are usually given 48 hours to comply with the terms of an improvement notice. Failure to comply can result in closure, a fixed penalty notice, or being taken to court.

The Welsh Government website states staff working in indoor public spaces must wear masks “if they are in an area accessible to the public”.

It also states staff who are not facing the public may also need to wear face coverings “if physical distancing cannot be maintained”.

For example, employers may require staff to wear masks indoors “as a reasonable measure to minimise the risk of exposure to coronavirus on the premises unless there are strong reasons not to”.