Covid: Dispersal order for parts of Nottingham after 87 fined

Nottinghamshire Police said dispersal orders will be used "on an ongoing basis" at weekends

A 48-hour dispersal order will again be in place for parts of Nottingham after police fined 87 people for breaching coronavirus regulations in one weekend.

Nottinghamshire Police introduced the order in the city centre, Lenton and the Arboretum last weekend.

It followed multiple reports of antisocial behaviour and people breaking lockdown rules.

The new order, for Lenton and the Arboretum, will begin at 18:00 GMT on Friday.

It allows officers to order people to leave an area if they are being disruptive. Those who continue to flout the rules or cause disruption could be arrested.

A force spokesman said officers plan to use dispersal orders "on an ongoing basis" at weekends after seeing antisocial behaviour reports drop once the order was active.

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Police said 54 of the 87 fines for Covid breaches in the dispersal zone over the weekend were issued on Saturday.

The breaches included a gathering on a roof terrace in Derby Road on Saturday, where seven people were fined, and a large house party in Bluecoat Close on Friday.

'Really unacceptable'

Ch Supt Rob Griffin, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Antisocial behaviour can have a dramatic impact on families.

"This is really unacceptable and we will fully support people in the Arboretum, Lenton and city centre.

"We showed this weekend that the dispersal order is an effective tool in keeping a lid on antisocial behaviour.

"This upcoming weekend we will have another dispersal order in place and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future and we will monitor the situation."