Sheffield City Council has issued the first £10,000 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) to a business after a hand car wash repeatedly breached Covid-19 regulations.
Speedy Car Wash on Sheffield Road, Tinsley, are the first business in the region to suffer a fine of this size after they were caught opening during lockdown for the fourth time.
The company had already been issued FPN’s of £1,000, £2,000 and £4,000 following complaints that they were operating as a non-essential business.
Burngreave Ward Councillor Mark Jones said: “Keeping the public safe is critical. We cannot and should not allow the public to be put at risk.
“I understand that it’s a really hard time for business, but it’s essential that we all uphold the rules so that we can get out of this situation.”
However, the fine has not been met with overwhelming support from the community as many people in Sheffield are beginning to grow tired of the coronavirus restrictions.
Daniel Jones, 27, who lives in Tinsley, said: “I can go to a supermarket where they are letting everyone just walk in and stand shoulder to shoulder. Yet I can’t take my car for a wash where everyone will be perfectly socially distanced.
“This is why people are breaking the rules and doing what they want, because none of the rules make any sense at all.”
In response to the public backlash over the fine, Cllr Jones said: “Our lowest-paid workers have borne the brunt of the covid pandemic. We will not allow irresponsible practices to exist that take advantage of our most precarious workers.
“This may not be universally popular, but it is the right thing to do.”
With a rolling rate of 197.2 per 100,000, the Tinsley and Carbrook area is well above the national average for Covid-19 cases (62.2 per 100,000).
Sheff News contacted Speedy Car Wash for a response but at the time of writing they declined to comment.