Butcher's Arms Ground closed by Tameside Council

Droylsden Butcher's Arms Ground has been closed down for a posing a “serious and imminent risk to public health” by breaching coronavirus regulations.

During a visit, Tameside Council Environmental Health officers found significant breaches to regulations and insufficient control measures in place to keep visitors, staff and players safe.

In a statement the council said: “The rate of Covid-19 infection in Tameside is currently high and has been increasing rapidly in recent weeks. Latest data shows that Tameside has seen 766 new cases in Tameside in the last week.  This means that there is an increasing chance of transmission across the community, especially where large numbers of people congregate. It is also important to note that the rate of hospital admissions, ICU admissions and deaths in Tameside have also been increasing in recent weeks.”

Officers noted that people were coming into close contact with each other in crowded spaces, without sufficient measures to mitigate the amount of contact.

Tameside Council Executive Member responsible for enforcement Cllr Allison Gwynne said: “We have been working closely with the police to advise and support businesses and venues to operate safely and the vast majority are complying. Where issues are found we work closely with them to address and resolve.

“Unfortunately in this case, our advice has not been taken on board and there is a clear and serious risk to public health.  Public health and keeping the local community safe is of utmost importance to us and we won’t hesitate in taking robust action against businesses and premises that fail to comply and pose a threat.”

The decision will remain in force until 2 November 2020.

With Droylsden FC withdrawing from competition before the start of the season, the stadium was currently being used by Stretford Paddock, who play in the Lancashire and Cheshire AFL Division 1.