Covid: Luton venue closed down over 100-strong wedding

A venue which hosted a wedding attended by more than 100 people has been ordered to close and seen its manager fined £10,000.

The event, which breached the then-limit of 30 people for weddings, took place on 23 September at the Grand Park Hall in Park Street, Luton.

Bedfordshire Police shut down the event and later issued a dispersal order to reduce crowds that remained.

A force spokesman said it had been a "flagrant disregard of the rules".

On its website, Grand Park Hall describes itself as a venue "perfect for all size wedding parties" which can accommodate between 100 and 550 guests.

Luton Council has issued a direction notice on the premises ordering it to close until it is satisfied that it will reopen safely.

The town, which has a population of 213,000, recorded 135 positive Covid-19 cases in the weekend ending 26 September, up from 85 cases the week before.

On Tuesday, police issued a £10,000 fixed penalty notice to the venue's manager who was on duty during the event.

Ch Supt John Murphy said: "This case was a flagrant disregard of the rules and risked undoing all of the good work that is being done by the majority of people."

Councillor Jacqui Burnett said it was a "shocking and dangerous breach" of the restrictions when there was a "concerning rise" in cases both nationally and locally.

"[It] not only put the people who attended the event and their friends and family at risk, but is also a slap in the face to the large majority of businesses and premises across the town who have worked so hard and sacrificed a lot to make their venues Covid-compliant and safe for their customers" she said.

The BBC has approached the venue for comment.

This week, the national limit on weddings was reduced to 15 people.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]