Peterborough car wash owner fined after breaking lockdown rules

The fixed penalty notice was issued by Peterborough City Council officers under The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020.

The owner had previously been instructed to close his business after council officers discovered him breaching restrictions on 24 November 2020 and again on 7 January 2021. On receiving further information confirming that the business was still continuing to wash cars despite earlier instructions, officers from the council's Covid compliance team issued the fixed penalty notice last month.

The owner can either pay the fixed penalty notice or face court action. If convicted, he could face a fine of up to £10,000.

Councillor Irene Walsh, Peterborough City Council's cabinet member for communities, said: “We recognise that these are tough times for businesses. Our approach has always been to engage, advise and work together to gain compliance, with enforcement action being a last resort.

“It was important to take action on this occasion as the owner chose to operate despite being instructed to close on two separate occasions. We need to ensure that Government restrictions aimed at protecting public health are maintained.

“It is also worth noting that the actions of this trader gave him an unfair advantage over those other businesses that have acted responsibly and closed in accordance with the requirements of the national lockdown.

“The council takes breaches of Covid legislation extremely seriously. We are dealing with a pandemic, which has put considerable strain on local agencies, our NHS and we all must play our part in preventing the spread of this virus.”

Businesses breaching Coronavirus legislation can be issued with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice for the first breach, £2,000 for a second breach, £4,000 for a third breach and £10,000 for a fourth and any subsequent breaches.