Coronavirus: Fifty fined after police break up parties

The university said students breaking lockdown could face disciplinary action

Police have said it is "disappointing" they had to hand out 50 fines after being called to two large student parties in Nottingham.

Officers were called to the University of Nottingham campus on Thursday night.

One incident in Lenton Abbey saw six fines given to people hiding at a property, while 44 were caught in the University Park area.

Police said they believed people had travelled from other campuses in the city centre to attend these parties.

The city had the highest Covid-19 rate in the UK in October but infections have fallen

After a lull in incidents during lockdown, officers said university security staff alerted them to a party at 23:30 GMT on Thursday.

While the gathering had dispersed when police arrived, six people were found in one room.

Immediately after, officers were alerted to the second party.

Amy English, neighbourhood inspector for the city area said: "It is disappointing to see this when there has been relatively little of this sort of activity since lockdown began.

"But this shows that we still need to remind people of the need to understand that they still can't have parties and that things have not eased just because we are nearing the end of lockdown.

A University of Nottingham spokesperson said: "It is vital for the safety of everyone in our community and city that we keep following the guidance and the law.

"In addition to the fixed penalties issued by police, the University will take disciplinary action."