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Restaurant where Rishi Sunak once worked as waiter fined £1,000 for coronavirus breach

Fine issued after wedding reception attended by more than 30 people

Ben Mitchell
Wednesday 04 November 2020 21:57 GMT
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A restaurant where chancellor Rishi Sunak used to work as a waiter has been fined £1,000 for breaching coronavirus restrictions.

Kuti's in Town Quay, Southampton, was issued with a fixed penalty notice after it hosted a wedding reception attended by more than 30 people on 24 October.

The groom, a 39-year-old man, was also served a £200 fine for breaching the rule of six.

Mr Sunak, who grew up in the Hampshire city, worked at the restaurant's previous premises in the 1990s.

His parents, who have worked as a GP and a pharmacist in the city, regularly attend the restaurant for Christmas Eve, the owner Kuti Miah has previously told local newspaper the Southern Daily Echo.

“It is very disappointing that a licensed premises has been in breach of the clear guidelines around hospitality and group size that are designed to keep customers safe and limit the spread not only among patrons but the community as a whole,” Pc Brian Swallow, of Hampshire police, said in a statement.

The police force also fined the Jolly Roger pub in Gosport which became known for its scheme trading drinks for toilet rolls during the panic-buying of the first lockdown.

The £1,000 fixed penalty notice was issued after groups of people larger than six were found to be dancing and not socially distancing or wearing face-masks while not seated in the pub on 24 October.

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