UPDATE: Council 'really disappointed' by breach of Covid-19 restrictions at Luton Mosque

Police were called to the Jalalabad Jame Masjid Mosque on Leagrave Road at 1.30pm on Friday, October 23 (see full story here).

A Luton Borough Council spokesman said: “Covid-19 restrictions have regrettably had an impact on religious worship and people’s right to associate but it is important to note that locally, at the vast majority of places of worship, people have acted responsibly.

"However, all visitors to such places still need to take personal responsibility for their actions and we were really disappointed to see video footage where social distancing at one location apparently wasn’t taking place.

“In general we would pay tribute to the response from local faith organisations who have been really proactive in conveying vital public health messages to local people and in observing the restrictions.

"Specifically, council leader Hazel Simmons has visited a number of places of worship, including churches and mosques, over the past few weeks to thank them for the part they have played in dealing with the response to the pandemic.

"She was really impressed with measures that have been put in place to keep people safe, including one-way systems, social distancing, and specifically at mosques, shorter prayers times and more prayer sessions to restrict the number of visitors at any one time.

“The council will join police in visiting the mosque in question this week to seek assurances about Covid-19 safety going forward and to ensure there is no repeat of last week’s incident.”