Taunton pub licensee fined after officers disrupt lock-in

The licensee of a pub in Taunton has been issued with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice for failing to close at 22:00.

Officers attended the Racehorse Inn in the East Reach area of the town at around 22:50 on Saturday night (24 October) following a report it was breaching COVID-19 regulations.

On arrival they found approximately 25 people inside the establishment with a member of staff in the process of serving a man drinks.

A group of around 15 people, none of which wore face coverings, were also dancing together on the dancefloor.

PC Gary Pethick said:

“The coronavirus legislation is in place to save lives and stop the spread of this dangerous virus.

We can’t allow the selfish actions of a few to ruin everything the overwhelming majority continue to work hard to achieve.

The licensee may well have been apologetic after being caught breaching the rules but by then it’s too late.

We continue to take the same approach as we have done throughout the pandemic of engaging with people, explaining the restrictions in place and encouraging them to comply. But when people are knowingly and wilfully breaching the regulations we will move more quickly to enforcement by issuing a fine.”