Bars and restaurants boarded up and closed down on Old Compton Street in Soho, at the heart of the West End (photo by Mike Kemp/In PIctures via Getty Images)
London’s G-A-Y Late venue suffered a break-in during the coronavirus lockdown, as venues across Soho are boarded up.
The venue’s owner Jeremy Joseph revealed the incident took place in the early hours of Tuesday, just days after the city’s nightlife was shut down due to coronavirus.
Burglars ‘smashed their way into’ G-A-Y Late.
Taking to Facebook, he wrote: “If things couldn’t get any worse, G-A-Y Late was broken into earlier hours this morning.
“Our venue was secured and safe, unfortunately the venue next door wasn’t and they broke in through there.
“The CCTV is horrific, I watched it with police, they literally spent 20 minute using a barrier to smash the glass of a fire door and then leaned over through broken glass to push the bar to get in.
“I live above G-A-Y bar and even though its different venue, I now no longer feel safe. I didn’t think things could get worse, but I was wrong.”
Soho venues are boarded up during coronavirus lockdown.
Many of the venues across Soho have now been boarded up, following the UK-wide ban on entertainment venues which came into effect before a full lockdown was declared.
London’s Soho not only shut down but being boarded up #CoronaCrisisUK #London #Soho pic.twitter.com/dUnheKqEZd
— Mark King (@MDKtm) March 21, 2020
Joseph’s Heaven nightclub shut down last week, confirming: “It is with a heavy heart, effective immediately, Heaven nightclub London will not be opening… due to the on going COVID-19 crisis and Boris Johnson’s announcement this evening.
“We will do our best to be responsive on social media about future events during this period, and welcome any ideas which can support our wider community.
“Take care of yourselves, look after each other – and see you at our next party soon.”
Hours beforehand, Joseph had hit out at Boris Johnson’s failure to provide any compensation for the entertainment industry while effectively forcing closures.
He said: “Boris Johnson, you are a c**t. Telling people to avoid pubs, restaurants and theatres but not closing them, in other words, unofficially closing venues but making sure government isn’t liable for staff to get sick pay.”
The club’s owner apologised in 2016 after blaming people from Somalia for rising crime in London.