£800 fine crackdown on lockdown partygoers
FINES of £800 will be slapped on people caught at house parties as part of tougher measures to crack down on illegal gatherings during the pandemic.
The penalty, coming into force next week, will apply for groups of over 15 people and will double after each offence up to a maximum of £6,400 for repeat offenders, the Home Secretary said. The fines currently stand at £200. The £10,000 penalties for unlawful groups of more than 30 people will still only apply to the organiser.
Announcing the decision at yesterday’s Downing Street press conference, Priti Patel said: “The science is clear: such irresponsible behaviour poses a significant threat to public health.
“Not only to those in attendance but to our wonderful police officers who attend these events to shut them down.
“As this latest measure demonstrates, we will not stand by while a small number of individuals put others at risk.”
The Metropolitan Police issued more than 140 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) totalling £39,000 in just two days last weekend. These included a house party of more than 40 people in Tower Hamlets and a large party at a place of worship in Hackney.
Last week, South Yorkshire Police handed out 127 FPNs, of which 92 were for indoor gatherings. In Greater Manchester, police responded to three separate parties over the weekend, the largest one involving more than 40 people at a flat in Cheetham Hill.
Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), said: “We have made it repeatedly clear that house parties and other large gatherings should not be happening. They are dangerous, irresponsible, and totally unacceptable.
“I hope that the likelihood of an increased fine acts as a disincentive for those people who are thinking of attending or organising such events.”
He said officers will not “waste time” trying to reason with people breaking the rules in such a way, adding: “When we see people that are putting themselves and others in danger, we will not waste time trying to reason with them. They are demonstrating no regard for the safety of others, or for themselves.”
Mr Hewitt described how last week in Brick Lane, east London, three police officers had been injured when more than 40 people were found cramped indoors at a house party.
Meanwhile, more than 150 people were found at a party in Hertfordshire, complete with music equipment including mixing decks and amplifiers, and another officer was injured.
Mr Hewitt said 250 £10,000 fines for organising large gatherings had been issued since they were introduced in August and January 17.
In Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, officers found a site set up with a dance floor and speakers ready for a party and told the organiser to cancel the event but later found 50 people in attendance and issued a £10,000 fine, he added.
The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in England stood at 33,235 as of 8am yesterday, according to the latest figures from NHS England. This is slightly below the record 34,336 patients on January 18, but up 1% on a week ago and up 88% since Christmas Day.
Four regions have seen a week-onweek rise in the number of Covid-19 patients: the Midlands, which has 6,380 patients, up 10%; north-west England, which has 4,287, also up 10%; northeast England/Yorkshire, which has 3,814, again up 10%; and south-west England, which has 2,311, up 9%.