Covid-19: Fifa tournament students disciplined by university

More than 20 people were found at a gaming tournament in a student property

The University of Hertfordshire has disciplined five students who took part in a Fifa gaming competition in breach of coronavirus regulations.

Police said they found more than 20 people at an address in The Runway, Hatfield, on 12 January but several ran away.

They issued five people with a £200 fixed penalty notice.

The university said the students "blatantly breached Covid-19 rules" and have been "disciplined".

Hertfordshire Police said it had responded to reports of an unlawful gathering at about 01:00 GMT, and had reported those who did not make off when officers arrived.

It issued the fines after a joint investigation between officers and the university.

A spokesman for the University of Hertfordshire said students were expected to "follow the national guidance and keep our community safe".

Police attended an unlawful gathering in The Runway, Hatfield

Social meetings have been banned under lockdown rules in England.

"We do not condone this behaviour and those who were found to have blatantly breached Covid-19 rules have been disciplined by the university," the university said in a statement.

"The vast majority of our students are following the national safety guidelines, and we will continue to work with the police and take appropriate action against those who are not."

It did not say what action had been taken against the students.

Following the incident, Hertfordshire Police said gathering for an online tournament was a "far from a valid excuse for breaking the rules".

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Ch Insp Simon Mason said it was "clear that some sort of party had been going on" when officers arrived at the address.

"We were told that they had gathered to have an online Fifa tournament, which, as I'm sure most people are well aware, is far from a valid excuse for breaking the rules," he said.

"This is completely unacceptable behaviour given the current climate. We are in a lockdown for a reason - thousands of people are dying.

"It is completely selfish to carry on as normal, and it's an insult to all those who are adhering to the regulations as they should."

He said the force was working with the university over those "not respecting the rules" and "anyone found to be breaching the coronavirus regulations should expect to receive a fine".

In November, during the last lockdown, five students were suspended over a disturbance at the Hatfield campus.