Police 'outnumbered' by Middlesbrough and Newcastle sledging crowds

Police were left "outnumbered" and "hugely frustrated" when hundreds of people gathered to sledge in snow.

Large crowds congregated to frolic on Newcastle's Town Moor and Flatts Lane Country Park in Middlesbrough on Wednesday and Thursday.

Covid regulations allow police to issue fines for organised gatherings but the rules do not apply for crowds consisting of individual households.

Cleveland Police said it was "taking up a lot of resources".

"You can see we're outnumbered," said PC Ritchie Robinson.

"If they're not going to engage with us and we can't explain and reason with them in an amicable manner we're going to have to start taking names and addresses and issuing fines."

Police do have powers to disperse crowds and fine or arrest those refusing to leave, but only if they have a justifiable reason such as disorder or crime.

Northumbria Police said officers would "engage with the public where it is proportionate to do so".

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A National Police Chiefs Council spokesperson said officers were able to use their discretion but the Home Office determined what sort of crowds were covered by the regulations.

The Home Office said people "should only be leaving home for limited reasons permitted in law and they must follow the rules when they do".

"The police will continue to take action where necessary, including issuing fixed penalty notices and directing people who are breaching the regulations to return home," a spokesperson said.

Bottles, cans and rubbish were left behind on Cow Hill in Newcastle

Volunteers who cleaned up litter left behind in Newcastle said Cow Hill was "an absolute mess" and warned broken glass had been covered by fresh snow.

Northumbria Police said it had dispersed crowds from Town Moor on Thursday night and planned extra patrols to make sure they did not congregate again.

The force also said it was aware of footage on social media "showing a group who appear to be partying on the Town Moor" on Wednesday evening.

"This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and undermines the efforts of the majority of people in our region who are making daily sacrifices to prevent the spread of coronavirus," a spokesperson said.

The gathering was reported to police but when officers arrived the group had dispersed.

Health chiefs on Tyneside said large numbers of people socialising in close proximity heightened the risk of transmitting coronavirus and warned an increase in patients attending hospital with sledging injuries was putting extra strain on departments at a "critical time".

"Burdening our NHS with avoidable injuries at a time when we are already struggling with a pandemic is not acceptable," said Bas Sen, director of emergency care at Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust.

"The Royal Victoria Infirmary has seen multiple injuries including some pretty major ones, which are terrible for the people concerned but also start consuming critical resources at a time when things are already stretched."