12 people fined for playing dominoes at east London restaurant

Twelve people have been fined after they were caught playing dominoes in a restaurant in east London.

Police officers found the group hiding in a dark room when they entered the building in Whitechapel(E1) on Tuesday.

The owner initially claimed those inside were workers, before admitting they were playing the game.

Tower Hamlets Council has been asked to consider issuing a fine to the owner of the restaurant for breaching tier four Covid-19 restrictions, the Met said.

A video released by the Met shows the restaurant owner saying: “They’re playing dominoes.”

Ch Insp Pete Shaw said: “The rules under tier four are in place to keep all of us safe, and they do not exempt people from gathering to play games together in basements.

“The fact that these people hid from officers clearly shows they knew they were breaching the rules and have now been fined for their actions.”