Holyhead B&M slapped with Premises Improvement Notice following Covid-19 breaches

An Anglesey store has been issued with a warning for failing to comply with Coronavirus regulations.

Council enforcement officers gave a Premises Improvement Notice to Holyhead’s B&M Home Store after identifying breaches of Covid-19 regulations.

The store, located at the former Kwik Save site on London Road, was given 48 hours to comply after being issued with the notice last Thursday, March 10.

Anglesey Council confirmed yesterday, however, that all the compliance issues have been subsequently met within the 48 hour target period.

Among the issues highlighted were:

• The canteen being used for staff training was overcrowded, with a minimum distance of two metres social distancing not being observed.
• Delegates not all a minimum of two metres apart whilst undertaking the staff training nor wearing face coverings.
• Office surfaces were cluttered making it difficult to clean and sanitise effectively, with no surface cleaning being witnessed during the visit.
• Officers noting that hand sanitisers were not being used by staff members sharing equipment.
• High-contact touch points not being cleaned regularly in back of house areas.
• The presence of two entrances and exits for shoppers increasing the risk of customers meeting face to face and being within two metres of each other.

Premises Improvement Notices specify the measures that need to be taken to meet the regulations within a certain time limit, usually 48 hours.
If the business fails to comply, enforcement officers can issue a Premises Closure Notice, requiring the premises, or part of it, to be closed for up to 14 days.
In some circumstances, enforcement officers can close the premises immediately without having served an improvement notice, but this would only be where there has been a serious breach of regulations.

Anglesey Council has now confirmed that all necessary improvements have been implemented within the timeframe provided.

These include ensuring a maximum capacity of six people in the canteen at one time, staff observing two metre social distancing at all times and reminding staff to regularly sanitise their hands.

The company was also obliged to ensure a dedicated entrance and exit so that customers are less likely to meet face to face and maintain a minimum of two metres social distancing.

Holyhead has seen the brunt of cases on Anglesey over recent days, with the island continuing to have one of the highest infection rates per 100,000 people in Wales.

Of the 15 cases confirmed in the county on Monday (March 15), 11 were in the town itself.

The authority said last week that the recent increase in positive cases on Anglesey is linked to the ongoing outbreak at Ysbyty Gwynedd.
However, contact tracers are continuing to see transmission between households with cases caused by family members and friends visiting each other socially.

B&M has been approached to comment.

Anglesey’s Chief Public Protection Officer, Les Pursglove, said: “The majority of hospitality premises in Anglesey are working extremely hard to keep customers safe and comply with the Covid-19 regulations.

“Unfortunately, we have seen some premises fall short of the standards required to keep staff and customers safe, which can lead to serving an Improvement Notice.

He added: “We fully appreciate that these are uncertain times for businesses and our Public Protection officers are on-hand to offer advice and guidance if required. However, we will continue to carry out proactive visits to retailers to ensure compliance.

“While we still try to provide the necessary guidance, breaches of the Coronavirus restrictions will not be tolerated.”
“We will continue to respond swiftly to intelligence or complaints received about Coronavirus breaches within the business, hospitality or tourism sectors.”

By Gareth Williams – Local Democracy Reporter