THE Milan Palace and the Tudor Rose, both in Southall have had their licenses suspended for three months following a hearing in front of the Ealing License Committee last week.

In September and October both venues hosted wedding ceremonies and other events, in clear breach of the coronavirus restrictions.

They were both also handed fines, with the Tudor Rose ordered to pay £1,000 for one breach and the Milan Palace £7,000 for three breaches.

During an event at the Tudor Rose on October 13, approximately 150 were in attendance.

Chief Superintendent Pete Gardner, West Area policing commander, said: "The brazen actions of these neighbouring venues were completely selfish - they deserve to have their license temporarily stripped for putting their community at risk.

"Likewise, their attempts to ignore the rules shows utter contempt for the thousands of legitimate businesses across London who have made excellent efforts to keep their business COVID secure.

"This action alongside Ealing Council should be seen as a warning to those other businesses who flout the rules.

"Repeated breaches will result in escalated enforcement, which could potentially see licenses being revoked."

Police Sergeant Guy Rooney, said: "I visited both these venues on multiple occasions to warn them that their actions were in breach of the regulations and could result in enforcement.

"However, they took blatant steps to ignore my instructions, continuing to hold weddings and other ceremonies.

"It is deeply frustrating to see such a total disregard for the rules, which the vast majority of businesses and Londoners are following to help keep this deadly virus at bay."

Ealing Council's regulatory services have been working in conjunction with the police around COVID-19 compliance and have given clear instruction to these and other premises about safely operating within the COVID-19 requirements.

Councillor Joanna Camadoo-Rothwell, Ealing Council cabinet member for community safety and inclusion, said: "Enforcement action will be taken against businesses that do not follow the restrictions placed on them.

"We all have a responsibility for ensuring we follow the COVID-19 restrictions and work together to ensure the safety of ourselves and others.

"We will not hesitate in taking appropriate action against those that flout the regulations."