A landlord was warned he would be fined £1,000 if fans cheered, chanted or booed while watching England’s Euro 2020 games at his bar, LancsLive reports.
Leon Kelly was visited by council licensing officers from ahead of last weekend’s match between England and Croatia.
Mr Kelly, who owns Level One in Darwen, obtained an 18-month road closure in April to allow him to set up a large marquee at the front of his bar.
The marquee, which can seat 96 people, also boasts two big screens so customers can watch the Euro 2020 games while enjoying a beer outside.
However, when the officers visited he says they told him he must stop customers from booing, chanting or cheering while watching the football to reduce the risk of passing on Covid-19.
“I just sort of looked at them like ‘What?!’,” he said.
“How on earth am I supposed to do that? Do I pause when someone’s about to take a shot on goal and warn everyone to keep quiet?”
Mr Kelly, who is set to open a second venue, called 303 as a nod to the height of India Mill Chimney in the town, told the officers he would have ‘no chance’ of being able to stop people cheering if England scored.
“I told them, just give me the fine now,” he said.
Gary Johnston, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s service lead for environment and public protection, said that as the Level One marquee is partially enclosed, ‘singing and shouting’ would increase the risk of transmitting coronavirus.
“Our licensing officers did carry out visits before the game to make sure that venues would be as safe as possible for people watching the football,” he said.
"People were obviously looking forward to watching England play and we wanted to make sure that all bases were covered to help people do this safely.
“Government guidance to pubs and other similar venues states that: ‘Singing, shouting and aerobic activities generate higher levels of aerosol and increase the risk of transmission further. You should consider these factors when ensuring you have adequate ventilation in the workplace.
“Lowering background noise, including music, reduces the need for people to sit close or shout. This can reduce the risk of airborne virus emissions and transmission.’
“This would be less of an issue in the open air but the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant still makes it relevant and as this event was held in a partially enclosed marquee it was important to make sure all regulations were followed.
“We still have a high number of cases in the borough and I am sure that venues want to do everything possible to keep their customers and staff safe.
“We would certainly expect a venue to consider all this as part of its Covid-19 risk assessment, and a clear failure to protect staff and customers could potentially lead to action under Health and Safety legislation.”
