London Venue Owner May Get £10,000 Fine for Crowded Wedding Reception

A screenshot of a body cam video showing police officers escort people out of an over crowded wedding reception during the CCP virus pandemic, in west London, on Oct. 13, 2020. Courtesy of MET

The Metropolitan police (MET) has reported the owner of a venue for consideration of a £10,000 ($12,900) fine, after breaking up a wedding reception in west London on Tuesday.

The MET said the reception at Tudor Rose in Southall had over 100 guests with “no clear evidence” of social distancing or “any reasonable steps” to prevent transmission of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.

“Officers dispersed a large number of the guests to ensure numbers complied with the law,” the MET said in a statement.

Peter Gardner, BCU commander and chief superintendent, said it was a “dangerous and foolish breach” of the CCP virus regulations.

“There was clearly no attempt by the venue owner to enforce the regulations or keep their patrons safe,“ he said, ”it is for this reason we have reported them for a £10,000 fine.”

According to government guidance, a maximum number of 15 people are allowed to attend a wedding.

Apart from masks and social distancing, from Sept. 28, businesses such as pubs, restaurants, and hotel bars are required to “take all reasonable measures to stop customers singing in groups of more than 6 (or other permitted groups, e.g a large household), and to stop dancing by customers (other than by the couple at a wedding or civil partnership), and ensure that no loud music is played, to minimise the need for customers to shout to communicate.”

Businesses that fail to implement the measures can face a fixed penalty notice of up to £10,000.