Fines worth £11,000 slapped on people at child’s birthday party
Police have disrupted a child’s birthday party after finding 24 people celebrating in a small apartment.
Officers attended the property on Victoria Street, Mansfield around 3pm on Thursday and found 14 adults alongside ten children.
They were alerted by members of the public when they saw party banners at the family barbecue, police said.
COVID-19 laws don’t allow mixing indoors with people who aren’t in your ‘social bubble’, so the adults were fined a total of £11,200.
New legislation introduced on January 29 increased fines to £800 per adult for a gathering of more than 15 people inside a property.
Read more: What you can and cannot do under the current lockdown rules
Deputy Chief Constable Steve Cooper, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “It is very disappointing to hear that officers have had to break up another large gathering in the county.
“Clearly there is still a minority of people who think the rules don’t apply to them or that they can make up their own versions of the guidelines.
“When we attend a party, we first encourage people to disperse safely.
“We call on all local residents to comply with the COVID-19 regulations which are there to protect everyone.
“It is true that people are being fined for breaking regulations, but more importantly the virus is spreading rapidly in the community and people are dying.”
ACC Cooper said officers were putting their own health, and that of their families, on the line by attending house parties night after night.
He added: “We would like to continue to commend their bravery in attending these mass gatherings and working so hard under difficult and anxious circumstances.”
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The latest coronavirus laws have come into effect as part of tougher measures to crack down on unlawful gatherings during the pandemic.
Penalties apply to groups of more than 15 people and will double after each breach, up to a maximum of £6,400 for repeat offenders.
Penalties of £10,000 for illegal groups of more than 30 people will still only apply to the organiser.
Under the legislation, which has now been published and is called Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers and Self-Isolation) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, the fine of £800 is reduced to £400 if it is paid on time. 14 days.
As well as those in private accommodation, the rule also applies to similar gatherings in “school accommodation”, according to documents setting out the new law.
The new laws give police the power to access Test and Trace data, the documents also suggest.
Watch: What you can and can’t do during England’s third national lockdown