Blackpool Council enforcement team on Covid breach alert

A total of 37 reports of alleged Covid breaches have been received online from the public since the start of the year, a meeting of the council’s licensing committee was told.

Additional issues have been raised through channels including calls to the Customer First Centre, and via councillors, with complaints reviewed daily.

Concerns were mainly around failure to wear facemasks in small stores, as well as activity around gyms and close contact services.

Enforcement officers are also now stepping up visits to larger stores to monitor compliance with the rules.

Lee Petrak, trading standards and licensing manager, told councillors the government had “sent out a very clear message to larger retailers that they need to improve.”

He added: “As far as Blackpool is concerned this work has already started and it will continue until we have visited all, or as many retail settings as we can within our resourcing limits.”

He said most businesses in Blackpool were complying with Covid regulations with council enforcement officers taking action in response to 19 reported breaches since January 1.

Mr Petrak said: “We receive information through various formats across the authority and we action as many of those as we possibly can do.

“Thankfully we don’t have major issues in the town at the moment. I would say compliance by businesses on the whole is good."

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