More than £15,000 in fines has been handed out after police shut down an illegal rave attended by more than 300 people in east London.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police attended a venue under a railway arch on Nursery Road in Hackney in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Loud music was heard coming from inside the venue and a significant number of people were found packed inside the small space.
Met Police officers have issued more than £15,000 in fines after breaking up a rave in Hackney in the early hours of this morning as dozens of people breached coronavirus regulations
The rave was held under a railway arch in Hackney and bodycams captured the large crowd
Dozens of ravers attempted to flee following the arrival of the police, scaling fences at the rear of the arch while others forced open a gate to get away from officers.
The Met said multiple attempts were made to engage with the event’s organisers, who were ‘unco-operative’, and at one point the doors were padlocked from the inside to stop police getting in.
Additional resources including police dogs and a helicopter were deployed.
A total of 78 people were stopped and issued with fixed penalty notices to the value of £200 for breaching Covid regulations by attending an illegal gathering – a total of £15,600.
Chief Superintendent Roy Smith, who attended the incident, said: ‘This was a serious and blatant breach of the public health regulations and the law in relation to unlicensed music events.
The Met said multiple attempts were made to engage with the event’s organisers who were described by the force as ‘uncooperative’ and at one point padlocked the doors of the event
‘Officers were forced, yet again, to put their own health at risk to deal with a large group of incredibly selfish people who were tightly packed together in a confined space – providing an ideal opportunity for this deadly virus to spread.
‘Our frontline officers continue to police this public health crisis with compassion and professionalism but it is completely unacceptable they have to face such needless risks to their own health and to their families too.
‘Whilst we will always seek to engage and explain, the message to those who have a total disregard for the safety of others and breach the law so blatantly is clear, our officers will act swiftly and decisively.
‘Not just organisers, but all those present at such illegal parties can expect to be issued a fine.’
Camera footage shows West Midlands police officers making their way through the premises and as they found more people hiding in the kitchen while breaking up a party in Birmingham
It comes as West Midlands police officers dished out more than £16,000 in fines in a single night as they were called to break up a birthday bash, an event inside a shop, a student rave and a poker match.
Officers in Birmingham attended 32 Covid breach incidents from Friday night to Saturday morning and a total of £16,600 were handed to those breaking the rules amid the third national lockdown.
The majority of the fines were handed out as police disrupted a large party at university accommodation in Birmingham city centre.
Around 50 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued as revellers, including some who travelled from London and Newcastle, gathered at the Canalside block.
Earlier in the night, a party was broken up on Soho Road where shop owners had set up a sound system and were eating and drinking.
A couple of fast food outlets were also found to still be serving customers beyond 11pm.
Pictured: Police were shocked at how many people were hiding inside the closet
Cops said they had issued five £1,000 fines overnight- penalties which are usually issued to the organisers of gatherings, or breaches at restaurants/fast food outlets.
Around 20 people were also found at a 30th birthday bash at a house in Kingstanding and 17 men were found to be enjoying a poker night in a tower block.
Police said they issued a total of 58 £200 fines to those breaking the rules by attending such gatherings.
People gathered at Canalside student block, Birmingham after a 50-strong party in breach of Covid rules
Inspector Steve Barnes, who was in charge of the operation, warned that ‘people are dying’ as he urged people to follow the rules.
He also hit back at criticism that West Midlands Police is using resources to tackle Covid breaches instead of ‘catching criminals’.
People travelled from as far as Newcastle, Nottingham and London to attend the risque event
‘We understand that young people are frustrated at not being able to enjoy themselves and I do feel their pain, but we have to stick to the rules so that we can get back to some sort of normality sooner rather than later,’ he said.
‘People are dying and we have to prevent the spread of this virus.
‘We hear the criticism that some are saying about our actions to police restrictions and, we more than anyone, want to concentrate on catching criminals, so my message is clear – stick to the rules and let us do our job of protecting communities and solving crime.’