Improvement notice issued to two Aberystwyth pubs

Two Aberystwyth pubs have been required to improve their measures to minimise the risk of exposure to coronavirus on their premises.

Yr Hen Llew Du public house in Bridge Street, Aberystwyth and The Western public house in Thespian Street, Aberystwyth, have both been served with an improvement notice after visits by officers from Ceredigion County Council’s Public Protection Team and Dyfed-Powys Police.

The Premises Improvement Notices, served under the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions)(No. 2)(Wales) Regulations 2020, were issued at both public houses on Wednesday 21 October 2020.

During visits to Yr Hen Llew Du, Officers found that improvements were needed to ensure compliance with the regulations. These improvements include ensuring that contact tracing information from each person at the premises (or in relation to persons from the same or extended household, from one of the customers) is collected and kept correctly; that measures are put in place to control the front paved area of the premises so that the required distance between persons on the premises is maintained; that effective controls are in place to control how customers enter and leave the premises as well as when customers are queuing to enter the premises.

In relation to The Western, Officers also found that improvements were needed to ensure compliance. The necessary improvements should ensure that staff wear face coverings or take other reasonable measures to limit close face to face interaction and maintain hygiene; that customers do not sit/stand at the bar when ordering, when being served or when consuming food/drink on the premises; that contact tracing information from each person at the premises (or in relation to persons from the same or extended household, from one of the of all customers) is collected and kept correctly.

These businesses will now be granted 48 hours to correct the issues that have been highlighted or further enforcement action will be considered, including the option to issue closure notices.

The overwhelming majority of Ceredigion’s hospitality businesses are endeavouring to comply with the restrictions, and officers from Ceredigion County Council’s Public Protection Team and Dyfed-Powys Police continue to work proactively with local businesses by providing advice and guidance during monitoring inspections, etc. However, during the ‘firebreak lockdown’, the level compliance will be closely monitored and any licensed premises found to be breaching the restrictions could face enforcement action as well as a review of their premises licence.