A BOLTON restaurant has been shut down after breaching coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

Grillaz in Derby Street has been ordered to close after police and council officers repeatedly found the eatery was overcrowded, with tables seating groups adjacent to each other, and had no queue management.

Despite repeated visits and a final warning the restaurant failed to implement social distancing rules, Bolton Council said.

Grillaz is the first venue in the town to be ordered to shut under new powers.

It will have to close its doors from 5pm today until further notice.

Councillor Hilary Fairclough, executive cabinet member for environment services regulatory, said: “This business was given numerous chances to get its house in order and work with us.

“Our officers spent a lot of time visiting and advising the restaurant but they continued to put people’s lives at risk with reckless practices.

“We do not take the decision to close a business down lightly but the health of our residents has to come first."

The closure order comes after concerns about the restaurant breaching Covid-19 rules were reported by residents and councillors.

Officers from Bolton Council and Greater Manchester Police visited the eatery several times in the last week and gave advice and guidance on how it should comply with regulations.

A final warning was issued to Grillaz's owners on Monday after no new measures to tackle queue management outside the premises were found to be in place.

However, it was noted that the business's owners had made efforts to implement social distancing inside.

But after another follow-up visit yesterday officers found the social distancing issues had still not been resolved.

This, the council said, left them with no choice but to serve Grillaz with a closure direction.

Cllr Fairclough continued: “With so much support and guidance available to help businesses open safely and responsibly, there can be no excuse for this flagrant disregard for the COVID-19 regulations.

“Additional restrictions have been imposed on Bolton for a reason and these will continue if businesses and individuals continue to act as though the rules don’t apply to them.

“The council, working with our partners in the police, will take a zero-tolerance approach to any business that acts in this way.”

The closure notice served on Grillaz will be reviewed every seven days.

Attempts have been made to approach the restaurant for comment by The Bolton News. 

Following this incident, Superintendent Rick Jackson of GMP’s Bolton District has stressed the importance of businesses complying with coronavirus regulations.

He said: “It is extremely important that food establishments adhere to latest government regulations as the health and safety of the communities across Greater Manchester is paramount.

“We will act swiftly in taking action against businesses that are failing to comply with the regulations and will use our powers and legislation to their full to ensure premises operate safely.

“I hope that other food establishments will take note of the closure and understand that we will enforce if they do not comply with the latest regulations.”

Previously, Bolton Council has also closed down a vape shop and says it is actively monitoring breaches of coronavirus regulations in different business sectors across the town.