Pubs told to improve coronavirus safety measures

Two Caerphilly town pubs have been handed improvement notices for failing to follow Welsh Government coronavirus regulations.

Station Inn, on Nantgarw Road, and the Piccadilly Inn in Caerphilly town centre will have seven days to make the necessary improvements or risk closure.

The Station Inn pub was inspected on Saturday (November 14) by a Caerphilly County Borough Council trading standards officer.

The improvement notice says the officer found the back room in the pub had four tables pushed together and was occupied by a large group of people not from the same household.

Customers were also observed ordering drinks from the bar, which is not currently allowed under coronavirus restrictions.

Other violations include not controlling who enters the venue, a failure to ensure Track and Trace is completed and the information is verified, as well as no limited time period for a customer stay at the pub.

Meanwhile, the Piccadilly was inspected by trading standards on Sunday (November 15) and was found to have groups of customers exceeding four people from different households.

Like the Station Inn, there was also no control over who enters the venue, a failure to ensure Track and Trace is completed with verification of information and no limited time period for a customer visit.

Customers were also seen ordering from the bar and music was at a level that did not allow customers to speak without raising voices or going within two metres to hear what is being said. Under coronavirus regulations, music can be played as long as it’s at background noise level.

Caerphilly County Borough Council, like each of Wales’ 22 local authorities, has been given power by the Welsh Government to issue improvement or closure notices to businesses which fail to comply with Covid-19 safety guidelines.

The venues will be re-inspected in due course, at which point either the improvement notices will be dropped, or further action could be considered, which could include a closure notice.