County Durham holiday let owner operating during lockdown fined for breaching Covid restrictions

Durham County Council decided to take legal action against Tracey Robinson, owner of West Farm Holiday Lets, in Cold Hesledon, after she was found operating during last year’s national lockdown when holiday parks and tourist accommodation were banned from welcoming customers.

In February (2020) police officers visited the holiday accommodation after receiving reports of a potential breach of Covid regulations.

Officers spoke to three women who were using one of the lets and they confirmed they’d paid to stay at the accommodation for the evening.

Police then witnessed a second set of people in a nearby let, who also confirmed they did not live at the site and were staying in the holiday accommodation.

Appearing at Peterlee Magistrates Court, Robinson, 50, pleaded not guilty to breaching the Covid regulations in the belief that the people staying at the site were NHS staff using the holiday lets for respite.

However, magistrates heard the women had paid an advanced deposit to stay in the accommodation and were not carers using the holiday let for respite or using it for work purposes, which were the requirements for exemption.

Magistrates found that the incident breached the Tier 4 lockdown restrictions in place in County Durham at the time, and judged that Robinson was guilty of operating a business in contravention of Covid regulations.

Following the hearing, the holiday let owner was ordered to pay a £2,000 fine, £190 victim surcharge and £672 in costs.

Joanne Waller, Durham County Council’s head of community protection, said: “We have been investigating a number of complaints into the operation of West Farm during lockdown restrictions, which over the last year has resulted in multiple enforcement notices and legal action.

“We take breaches of this kind very seriously, and this case has shown that Robinson was indeed breaching restrictions during a significant time in the coronavirus pandemic, putting the safety of others at risk.”

The farm holiday accommodation is described on its Facebook site as “holiday lets with hot tubs”. The lets are advertised as consisting of a lodge with a six person hot tub and a converted stables which sleeps 10 people.

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