Quinn Blakey hairdresser faces court after racking up £17,000 fines for opening during lockdown

Sinead Quinn, the owner of the Bradford Road salon in Oakenshaw, has been issued with several fines by Kirklees Council for staying open since the second lockdown began on November 5.

This is due to hair salons being deemed 'non-essential' and ordered to close by the Government.

In total, Ms Quinn has been fined £17,000 for defying the rule.

A post on the salon’s Facebook page on November 9 explained that the salon was staying open to ensure the salon’s rent was paid along with the owner’s personal mortgage, bills, childcare fees, food, car and insurance

Ms Quinn also posed a sign on her door which referenced Article 61 of Magna Carta 1215 which stated it has a “right to enter into lawful dissent if we feel we are being governed unjustly.”

Kirklees Council has today (November 28) issued a closure notice to the premises and applied for a court order to shut the salon.

The closure notice means access to the building by anyone except the owner is prohibited. This includes customers of the salon.

If anyone fails to comply with the order, it could result in a fine and/or a maximum of three months in prison.

Kirklees Council has also applied for a closure order under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014

The application will be heard at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 30.

If approved at court, the closure order will then mean it will be a serious offence for anyone to enter the premises and could result in arrest and a maximum prison sentence of 51 weeks and/or a fine.

Councillor Paul Davies, Cabinet Member for Culture and Greener Kirklees, said: “I completely understand the frustrations of local business owners and thankfully the overwhelming majority of them have complied with the national lockdown and closed to help us overcome the virus.

"This pandemic has been devastating for a vast number of reasons, including the impact it has had on people’s livelihoods.

“The lockdown rules put in place by the Government are there so we can lower our infection rates, ease pressure on our health services and to ultimately save people’s lives.

"The actions taken by this business owner, and those who have given her custom during this period, have been illegal, selfish and reckless.

"The business owner has wilfully endangered herself, her customers, the wider community and our staff.

“We don’t want to fine our businesses or take action like this against them, particularly after such a difficult year.

"However, we have given this business every opportunity to do the right thing and public health must come first. We have been left with no choice.

“Thank you to the vast majority of people in Kirklees who are following the rules and guidance. If we all continue to play our part, we will get where we need to be.”

-> Hair salon with same ‘Quinn’ name as Magna Carta hairdresser receives staggering amounts of abuse as Quinn Blakey hairdressing opened during lockdown

A post on the Quinn Blakey Hairdressing Instagram account on November 5 reads: “Lockdown Day 1. I earned this week’s rent today, not sure where I would be pulling that money from given the Government want self-employed business people to wait six weeks for a payment.

“I still have mortgage, bills, childcare fees, food, car, insurance etc, not to mention the overheads for the shop.

“If we give up now, I can categorically guarantee your small businesses will not survive this lockdown – given it’s not going to be four weeks.

“Like I said before, this is more than just having a business and an income, this is my children’s future and that’s more important to me than anything.”

A number of videos posted on the page show the owner of the salon speaking to council and police officers through the locked door of the shop.

She is heard telling them she does “not consent” to being fined and that she is “standing under common law”.