Rule-breakers travelled to Birmingham for party

REVELLERS travelled from Nottingham to Birmingham to join a huge party hosted at student flats.

West Midlands Police said it handed out around 50 fixed penalty notices after being called to a party at student accommodation in Lower Loveday Street, Birmingham, just after midnight on Saturday.

Police said partygoers had travelled from as far away as Nottingham, Newcastle and London to attend the blatant breach of lockdown rules.

Footage shows police discovering partygoers hiding in a cupboard to evade fines. One officer was assaulted by a student who police said will be identified using CCTV.

The force said it will be working with the university to identify the organiser and help them improve their security to prevent further breaches.

Inspector Steve Barnes was in charge of the operation. He said: “We understand that young people are frustrated at not being able to enjoy themselves and I do feel their pain, but we have to stick to the rules so that we can get back to some sort of normality sooner rather than later.

“People are dying and we have to prevent the spread of this virus.

“We hear the criticism that some are saying about our actions to police restrictions and we more than anyone want to concentrate on catching criminals, so my message is clear – stick to the rules and let us do our job of protecting communities and solving crime.”

Officers at West Midlands Police went to 32 Covid breach incidents over the night and a total of 58 £200 fines were issued along with five £1,000 fines.

Inspector Barnes added: “The vast majority of people are sticking to the rules and therefore helping to reduce the infection rate.”