Gloucester: Covid-breach party leads to £800 fines

Some of those at the party had travelled from as far away as Durham said police

Police who broke up a party which breached lockdown rules found guests had travelled hundreds of miles to attend.

Officers arrived at a house in Gloucester to find "loud music, flashing lights and drunken singing".

They found a man hiding in a bath and guests who had travelled from Durham, 250 miles (402km) away.

It was the first time Gloucestershire Police handed out £800 fines under new powers to crack down on parties.

Police arrived at the house at around 04:00 GMT on 27 February. Loud music and singing can be heard on bodycam footage, with one officer commenting "there's a full-blown party going on inside".

Gloucestershire Police have issued £800 fines to those who attended the party

When the occupants opened the door, officers went inside to find several people hiding in the bathroom, including a man lying in the bath.

Gloucestershire Police said it had issued more than 700 fixed penalty notices since the pandemic began but the people at the party were the first to be fined for being in a gathering of more than 15.

Chief Constable Rod Hansen said: "The majority of incidents we're attending still relate to gatherings of more than two households and most of the fines issued since the new lockdown - 348 - have been for that reason.

"We've also issued 424 warnings during this lockdown."

Gloucestershire Police added that its policy was to "engage, explain and encourage" but they would move straight to enforcement for "a flagrant breach like this".