The owner of Melin Restaurant in Woodford Bridge, Ali Melin, has been stripped of his licence by Redbridge Council for failing to comply with licensing conditions, as well as continuously breaching coronavirus (COVID-19) guidelines. One of the most recent offences occurred on 3 November 2020, when police attended the restaurant and found that doors were locked, windows were blacked out, and were denied entry for ten minutes, amounting to an obstruction of officers exercising their duties under the Licensing Act 2003. Officers were able to see through a gap in the blacked out windows and found that people inside the restaurant were not wearing face coverings, while two DJs played music. Melin later posted a video on Instagram showing 70–100 people inside with approximately 50 people dancing. The Licensing Committee found that Melin had operated with complete disregard for the safety of his staff and customers.
