More businesses in Glasgow have been told they can remain open following court action centering on whether establishments can be categorised as cafes or restaurants.

Glasgow City Council confirmed it had agreed with a sheriff not to serve prohibition notices to four businesses run by two operators, including Italian firm Sartis, which has three premises in the city centre.

The other relates to three branches of the pancake chain Stack and Still.

It comes after Giovanna Eusabi became the first proprietor in Scotland to secure an interim interdict allowing her business to stay open after persuading a sheriff it is being run as a cafe. 

Restrictions affecting the central belt affect restaurants and pubs and will continue until November 2, when a new tier system is introduced.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: "It’s easy to understand why businesses want to stay open. This is obviously going to lead to situations where people choose to interpret the guidance and regulations in different ways.

“This week a sheriff granted an interim interdict to stop us from issuing a Prohibition Notice to one business and, separately, we gave an undertaking to another sheriff that we wouldn’t issue prohibition notices to four other premises.

“Clearly these legal cases apply to the very specific case of whether a business is a restaurant or a café and make it difficult for us to issue Prohibition Notices in those cases.

“However our advice remains the same; restaurants and bars should not be open to customers and prohibition notices remain an option where the regulations are clearly being flouted.”