Nottinghamshire Police send a stern warning to those ignoring Covid Tier 3 restrictions.
Nottinghamshire is currently in the Covid19 Tier 3, Very High Alert.
A spokesperson for Notts Police said:
‘We are called to numerous house parties every night and are now issuing £200 fines to every participant.
‘Hiding in back rooms and refusing to answer the door when we attend will not save you, the Police have been granted the power to force an entry if required.
‘The health risk is real and this anti-social behaviour is costing lives, so if you hear or see behaviour of this type please contact Nottingham Police by calling 101 or 999.’
Meeting indoors
You must not meet socially (in a private garden or at most outdoor public venues), with anybody you do not:
• live with
• have a support bubble with
However, you can see friends and family you do not live with (or do not have a support bubble with) in some outdoor public places, in a group of up to 6. This limit of 6 includes children of any age.
These outdoor public places include:
• parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests
• public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)
• allotments
• the grounds of a heritage site
• outdoor sports courts and facilities
• playgrounds
You can continue to meet in a group larger than 6 if you are all from the same household or support bubble, or another legal exemption applies.
Meeting in larger groups
There are exceptions where people can continue to gather indoors or in private gardens, or in groups larger than 6, in outdoor public places:
• as part of a single household or support bubble
• in a childcare bubble (for the purposes of childcare only)
• for funerals – up to a maximum of 30 people – and for commemorative events, such as wakes or stonesettings – up to 15 people. These cannot take place in private dwellings
• to visit someone at home who is dying, or to visit someone receiving treatment in a hospital, hospice or care home, or to accompany a family member or friend to a medical appointment
• for elite sportspeople (and their support teams if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) to compete and train
• for organised outdoor sport and physical activity and organised sports for disabled people
• to facilitate a house move.
If you break the rules
The police can take action against you if you meet in larger groups. This includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fines (fixed penalty notices).
You can be given a fixed penalty notice of £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400. If you hold, or are involved in holding, an illegal gathering of over 30 people, the police can issue fines of £10,000.
Full details can be obtained from-
www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-3-very-high-alert
There are no exemptions for Birthday, Anniversary, Christmas or any other reason for a house party.