A beauty salon has been ordered to close by enforcement officers for the second time, after its owner refused to close for what he claimed was a "bulls*** voodoo virus".
All non-essential shops and businesses must now be closed under new national lockdown restrictions which came in on Thursday.
But Skin Kerr in Bootle posted a message on its Instagram page which said they would not be complying with the lockdown.
When police and council officers visited the salon this morning, it appeared to be open.
Footage posted on social media today showed the beauty shop with its shutters halfway up, the Liverpoo l Echo reports.
In the video, a police officer can be heard saying: “We just need to speak to you.
“We need to know if you’ve got customers, but you won’t answer our questions.
“We believe you are open and you’re actually operating as a business.”
Council officers then served Skin Kerr with a prohibition notice – meaning they must close, or face a fine.
A Sefton Council spokesman said: “As we made clear earlier in the week, with the start of the new national lockdown council officers will be ensuring that local businesses are complying, as well as responding to any allegations that restricted businesses remain open.
“Our officers visited Skin Kerr this morning with Merseyside Police and a Prohibition Notice was served on the business, which should have closed under the new, national regulations.
“We will continue to work with Merseyside Police to monitor the premises and if the owners of the business do not comply and are seen still to be trading, further action, in the form of Fixed Penalty Notice can be taken.”
Merseyside Police Chief Inspector Mike O’Malley added: “We continue to remind local businesses that they should be continuing to follow the current Government legislation, and are encouraging the public to adhere to guidance.
“Only if businesses and people abide by the restrictions will this period achieve its aim of suppressing the virus, and help us get our lives back to normal.”
The owners of the salon has previously described the pandemic as a “bulls*** voodoo virus” and displayed posters saying “you can’t catch what doesn’t exist” as well as banning masks and “covid talk”.
The UK's coronavirus death toll was up by 378 on Thursday, on the first day of England's new lockdown.
The number of cases recorded today was 24,141.
England reported 236 fatalities, Scotland had 39, Wales recorded 30 and Northern Ireland had 12 to bring the UK hospital total to 39,560.
NHS England announced 236 deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities in hospital in England to 33,873.
