Himley Country Hotel in Dudley forced to close after breaking coronavirus rules
A hotel in Dudley has been ordered to close over breaching coronavirus rules and “continuing” reports of anti-social behaviour.
The Himley Country Hotel has been forced to close for 28 days by Staffordshire County Council after posing “a threat to public health”, from Friday until midnight on December 10.
And the School Road venue has been slapped with a temporary closure notice amid concerns over anti-social behaviour by Staffordshire Police and South Staffordshire Council, which comes into force on Saturday.
Guests and staff at the hotel were not wearing face masks, and cleanliness standards throughout the hotel were described as “very poor”.
Managers also displayed a “disregard for public safety”, council bosses said, as measures were not in place to keep people safe from Covid-19.
Dr Johnny McMahon, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for health said: “We are at a critical stage in our battle to control the virus – everybody needs to play their part and follow the rules.
“We won’t hesitate to enforce firm and immediate action against any businesses which flout the rules and put lives in jeopardy.”
Chief Inspector Dave Wain from Staffordshire Police said the closure notice concerning anti-social behaviour was made amid outcry from residents in the area.
He said: “We have been aware of reports of anti-social behaviour taking place in Himley and the surrounding area over the last few months.
"In response, we organised a residents’ meeting in August to listen to their concerns and we have been monitoring the area through regular police patrols.
“Many residents feel that Himley Country Hotel is still accommodating and attracting people who are involved in crime and causing nuisance and anti-social behaviour. To reassure residents, we have increased our police presence in the area with regular police patrols every Friday and Saturday until 3am.”
Councillor Roger Lees, deputy leader of South Staffordshire Council, added: “This kind of behaviour can’t be tolerated any longer. South Staffordshire is one of the safest areas in the country to live and we will continue to work in partnership with the police to tackle all types of anti-social behaviour and ensure that residents feel safe.”
The Himley Country Hotel declined to comment when approached by the Express & Star.
