Street Food Hut, the 7 Windsor Arcade cafe/restaurant, has become the latest business in Penarth to receive a COVID-19 'premises improvement notice' from the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

Improvement notices are handed to businesses that are deemed to have breached coronavirus guidelines.

The cafe's owner refutes some of the issues raised in the notice and suggests that changes be made in the way the Council enforces COVID-19 restrictions in the hospitality industry.

A local enforcement officer - or 'COVID police' as some traders refer to them - accused the establishment of breaching the following social distancing restrictions:

- Taking all reasonable measures to ensure that a distance of two metres is maintained between any persons on the premises other than two members of the same household, or a carer and the person assisted by the carer

- Installed barriers or screens

- Operate only on an outdoor hospitality or take away basis

On 13 May, Enforcement Officer Andrew Evans stated that Street Food Hut must enforce social distancing in the parklets, "remove tables and/or install screens" and not use inside tables inside (prior to the relaxing of indoor restrictions) in order to avoid further sanctions.

These may include fines, forced closure or court proceedings.

But Anna Jennings Slater, the cafe's owner, told Nub News that many of Mr Evans' claims are unjustified.

She said she never allowed customers to use indoor tables when this was prohibited, has enforced the two metre rule to the best of her ability, and is unable to change the layout of the premises any more than she already has.

"Give someone a clipboard and a lanyard and they think they're God," she said. "They're not rude, but they're definitely not helpful either.

"They need to make it clearer. They came in and they didn't actually say anything to me, they just stuck a sticker in the window, left a piece of paper with me, and then as soon as they'd gone I read it and couldn't understand what they were talking about.

"We've got the screens in, we're track and tracing, we're taking names and address, we've got hand sanitiser, we've got screens in the shop, hand gel everywhere. We're doing the best we can," she continued.

"It's the lack of solid advice. They come in at lunchtime, tell me what I'm doing wrong, but then don't tell me what to do right.

"Advice is changing daily. So just tell us what to do and we'll do it."

Mrs Jennings-Slater is in the process of selling the cafe, due partially to the events of the past year.

Since receiving the improvement notice, she has improvised screens for the parklets out of cling film until the plastic screens she ordered can be installed.

The screens cost £300 - a highly inconvenient expense for a cafe enduring the pandemic.

"There's been a lack of understanding from lots of people including the COVID police. I want to say to them, 'You've been employed all the way through this. We've been wondering how we're going to pay our mortgage because our income stopped'.

"I understand that they have to do it, but what's rubbed us up the wrong way is the seafront during lockdown because there are no rules down there. So much about the way they're doing it just doesn't make sense."

This comes a month after two Penarth hairdressers also received improvement notices.

Eighty-nine businesses across the Vale of Glamorgan have now done so.

The Vale Council have not responded to our request for comment.