Soho barbers faces £10k fine after police discover night club in London basement

15 December 2020, 14:35 | Updated: 15 December 2020, 15:12

The owner of a West End barber shop is facing a £10,000 fine after police discovered more than 100 people in a makeshift club in its basement.

Officers were called to Cut and Grind in D’arbly Street, Soho, at about 1am last Friday.

After walking past the sinks and chairs, they found a staircase which led down to a bar and dancefloor.

Turntables and speakers were set up and more than 100 people were inside, police said.

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Officers quickly dispersed the crowd, and the owner is now facing a £10,000 fixed penalty notice.

Police said it is “shocking” that people are willing to break rules “and put the health of Londoners at risk”.

The incident came days before it was announced that London would be forced to enter Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions following a surge in new cases in the capital.

PC Steve Muldoon, from the Soho policing team, said: “London is on the cusp of stricter restrictions and it is deeply concerning and irritating that people are still willing to break the rules and put the health of Londoners at risk.

“Over the last couple of weeks, we have responded to a number of parties and unlicensed music events across Soho. It is frankly shocking that people are willing to break the rules, which are clearly there to keep people safe.

“At this critical time for our city, I would urge everyone to stick to the rules. They are there to keep us all safe and prevent the spread of the virus.”