Gathering in unoccupied student flat raided
POLICE were called to break up a party in city student halls just a day before Tier Three restrictions were brought in.
The 40 young people found at the flat in Trinity Square, Nottingham city centre now face fines of £200.
Officers attended the halls of residence shortly before 11.15pm on Wednesday night after details of the party were allegedly shared on social media.
Details of the 40 people present were taken by officers and they now each face fixed penalty notices of £200.
Officers are still working to establish who organised the gathering, which took place in an unoccupied flat.
Once identified they could have to pay a £10,000 fine for organising an inside gathering of more than 30 people.
A bag of cocaine and a PA system were seized from the property.
Assistant Chief Constable Kate Meynell, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “As we’ve said time and again, the very last thing we want to be doing as police officers is to be issuing these fines, but we have a responsibility to enforce the law and to keep people safe.
“We take that responsibility very seriously and we will continue to take action against people who wilfully break the rules in this way.
“It is perfectly clear that these kind of gatherings are not allowed and there really is no excuse for what we saw last night.
“We expect people to follow and obey the law and hope that this latest incident serves as a warning to others – that if you do break the rules in this way you will be caught and you will be punished.”
The party is the latest in a string of incidents in Nottingham including a “ticketed” day event in Broad Street as well as house parties in the Lenton area.
Since the county was placed in Tier Two on October 14, indoor household mixing has been banned, and under Tier Three this has been extended to private outdoor areas such as gardens.