A student party attended by up to 150 revellers was shut down by police for breaching coronavirus rules – as officers elsewhere fined a swimmer £200 after he drove 100 miles to take a dip in the flooded River Severn.
Footage from Sheffield shows dozens of students attempting to flee the Ranmoor Student Village as officers descended on the illicit party on Thursday, which took place in breach of lockdown restrictions.
Police issued more than £34,000 worth of fines following the gathering, which was reported to University of Sheffield security before being passed on to South Yorkshire Police.
Fourteen officers were in attendance, and one was injured as students attempted to break out of fire exits and set off alarms in order to get away.
It comes as a further 915 deaths and 20,634 positive coronavirus tests were reported yesterday – both counts were down by more than a quarter week-on-week.
Footage from Sheffield shows dozens of students attempting to flee the Ranmoor Student Village as officers descended on the illicit party on Thursday, which took place in breach of lockdown restrictions. Pictured: Police at the scene
Elsewhere, a man who drove 100 miles from Somerset to swim in the flooded River Severn near Worcester was issued a £200 fine by West Mercia Police.
The 36-year-old dived into the river at 1.15pm on January 28, before emergency services were called when witnesses spotted him appearing to struggle in the water.
He managed to scramble out of the water as his friend filmed the illegal dip, but he later handed himself into police following an appeal by officers.
And in Newcastle, a children’s birthday party attended by more than 30 revellers was shut down by police earlier this week.
Footage captures police as they walk inside a packed home, where people from multiple households had gathered around a table laden with food in breach of lockdown restrictions.
Northumbria Police, which issued 16 fixed penalty notices following the bust, also released video of a homemade bar attended by 13 people in Widdrington, and a student party they shut down in Newcastle.
Footage from Newcastle captures police as they walk inside a packed home, where people from multiple households had gathered around a table laden with food in breach of lockdown restrictions. Pictured: The footage
Rule flouters were also reported in Wirral on Thursday, where Merseyside Police were called to reports of people playing bowls at Marine Park Bowling Green in New Brighton in breach of lockdown restrictions.
Officers rushed to the scene but the bowling group had departed by the time they arrived.
The wife of one of those involved hit back at the person who reported the breach on Facebook, writing: ‘You absolute saddos. Get a life. Stop wasting coppers time.
‘Go to other places where dog walkers are gathering allegedly walking dogs but aren’t abiding the two-metre rule.
The post attracted hundreds of comments, many critical of the players for appearing to think they were exempt from the coronavirus rules.
A man who drove 100 miles from Somerset to swim in the flooded River Severn near Worcester was issued a £200 fine by West Mercia Police. Pictured: The swimmer
The 36-year-old dived into the river at 1.15pm on January 28, before emergency services were called when witnesses spotted him appearing to struggle in the water
One person said: ‘Why should your husband be allowed to go out and roll a few balls around on the grass and break the rules.
‘I for one am glad the police got called and told him off in fact I hope they gave him a fine so he won’t think about doing it again.
‘We are all having to do this lockdown and your family are not exempt.’
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: ‘On Thursday 4 February at around 1.05pm we were called to reports of a breach of Covid regulations at Marine Park Bowling green in New Brighton.
‘Officers attended but were told by a member of the public that people had made off from the scene.
‘We will continue to respond to reports of breaches of current legislation, and proactively patrol to ensure that members of the public are adhering to restrictions.
‘The NHS is facing unprecedented pressure and it is vital that everyone continues to play their part to ensure the rate of transmission of coronavirus is reduced, and our loved ones are protected.’
Police have also issued £200 fines to three motorists in Westbury, Wiltshire who were taking part in a drive-by organised as a birthday present for a young boy whose father is fighting for his life in hospital. Pictured: The drive-by
Rule flouters were also reported in Wirral on Thursday, where Merseyside Police were called to reports of people playing bowls at Marine Park Bowling Green in New Brighton in breach of lockdown restrictions
Police have also issued £200 fines to three motorists in Westbury, Wiltshire who were taking part in a drive-by organised as a birthday present for a young boy whose father is fighting for his life in hospital.
Karen and Lee Tilley’s son Dalton had celebrated his ninth birthday on Sunday, and a friend organised the event – which involved 20 to 25 cars – in a bid to cheer him up after his father fell ill.
Mr Tilley, 43, had just woken from an induced coma at Bath’s Royal United Hospital. He was still critically ill after suffering a stroke while being treated in intensive care for Covid-19.
However, the drive-by was later attended by Wiltshire Police who issued three £200 fines to motorists for breaking coronavirus rules.
The drivers had assembled in a nearby Lidl car park before travelling past the family’s home.
However, a short time later police were told the group had gathered again in Kingfisher Drive, Westbury.
A spokesman said: ‘Officers later handed out three £200 fines to drivers for persistently breaking Covid rules.
‘We have not issued a £10,000 Fixed Penalty Notice (which are issued to organisers of gatherings of more than 30 individuals) and our enquiries continue.’
Following the party in Sheffield on Thursday, Inspector Ali Bywater said: ‘At a time when the vast majority are working so hard and making huge sacrifices to adhere to the rules, it is absolutely appalling to see people show such blatant disregard for not just their own safety, but the safety of others.
Northumbria Police, which issued 16 fixed penalty notices following the bust, also released video of a homemade bar attended by 13 people in Widdrington, and a student party they shut down in Newcastle. Pictured: Footage released by Northumbria Police
‘The actions of all those present were incredibly selfish and the fact that so many went to great lengths to flee from officers is evidence that they knew what they were doing was wrong.
‘At one point, there were 14 police officers on scene; that’s 14 officers who could have been dealing with other important matters across the county.’
Local teams, including Inspector Bywater’s, have been working closely with both universities in recent months to prevent and tackle any parties in student residences.
Inspector Bywater continued: ‘We know both universities have been communicating regularly with students to inform them of the risks of holding events and the consequences involved.
‘Parties like these are completely unfair on those who are rightly taking the threat of Covid seriously and can have massive implications on both the spread of the virus and subsequent strain on health services.’
‘The party’s organiser has been handed a £10,000 Fixed Penalty Notice, with over 30 others handed an £800 fine. This is now the minimum penalty for gatherings and parties of more than 15 people.
‘Police will now be working with the University of Sheffield in an effort to identify other attendees from the extensive body worn video footage captured.’
A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield, said: ‘It is imperative that students respect social distancing rules and all other restrictions to keep themselves and others safe and we strongly condemn any breaches of government regulations.
‘Our University Security Services and South Yorkshire Police have been working very closely and we have been clear and consistent with our messaging around student conduct and behaviour, regularly stressing to students that it is their social responsibility to adhere to government guidance. ‘