A Reading man has been handed a zinger of a fine after refusing to wear a face mask at the town’s KFC restaurant.

Sultan Basharat, of London Road, Reading, was hit with a £1,760 fine after remaining at the Broad Street eatery ‘without a face covering’.

The 33-year-old was caught without the protective mask on February 12, 2021.

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This was during England’s third coronavirus lockdown, when restaurants were only allowed to offer click-and-collect and takeaway services.

Not wearing a face mask in an indoor space is contrary to government coronavirus regulations introduced in 2020.

Basharat’s case was heard at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday, July 9, but he was not present for the hearing.

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Here, he was also told to pay court costs of £90 and a victim surcharge of £176.

In total, he was forced to pay £2,026 for not wearing the face covering at the fried chicken joint.

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