No fines despite massive youth party in city park
POLICE refused to issue fines to revellers despite a mass party of hundreds of people in Birmingham.
Students gathered at Cannon Hill Park in Edgbaston for ‘music, cocktails and a water fight’ on Tuesday – clearly flouting lockdown rules as temperatures soared.
Under the new Covid restrictions, you can meet outdoors either in a group of six from any number of households, or in a group of any size from up to two households.
But pictures taken at the event showed hundreds, possibly thousands, of people packed into a small area of the park. The event started at 1pm with drinking and dancing well into the evening.
The organised gathering was billed as ‘Birmingham’s hottest student link-up’, with reports people travelled from as far away as London to attend.
A flyer for the ‘21 Degrees’ event advertised ‘mocktails, cocktails, music, rounders, football and water
fights’ at the Russell Road site – as well as the chance to meet other students from Aston, Birmingham City University and the University of Birmingham.
Photos taken in the aftermath of the gathering showed rubbish left strewn across the park, sparking fury from locals.
Bottles, cups, food waste and plastic bags can be seen littering an area in the shadow of the Mac.
Gordon Inglis, who shared a picture of the rubbish-strewn park said: “This is the result of one sunny day in Cannon Hill park. Grim.”
People living near the park said the noise from the organised party had been ‘intense’.
At the height of the party, one man tweeted: “Do NOT go to Cannon Hill Park today. 5,000+ people.”
While another added: “So glad I’m not there – seems like a sure fire way to get Covid.”
“In all my life I haven’t seen Cannon Hill Park or the roads surrounding it so busy,” commented another local resident.
Footage seen by the Birmingham Post also showed two gloved-up men holding an impromptu boxing match in the park, watched by crowds of onlookers.
But West Midlands Police said, though they attended, the ‘crowds were good-natured’ and no fines were handed out for Covid breaches.
Despite that they then increased patrols the next day and warned people about gathering at large-scale events.
Supt Farooq Sheikh, of Birmingham East police, said: “Officers initially found no breaches of coronavirus legislation, with people enjoying the weather in small, individual groups. Later on in the evening, the numbers increased and music and lighting equipment had been set up. We had a number of complaints from residents about traffic building up around the area.
“The crowds were good-natured and engaged with officers, and the park was all clear by 11.30pm.
“Officers did not need to issue any fines. We want to reinforce that it is really important to remember that while people can now meet up with five other people outside, large-scale organised events are still against the law.”