THE organisers of an illegal house party were fined £30,000 after cops caught the trio of hosts red-handed, breaching Covid-19 rules.
With new coronavirus cases doubling every week, PM Boris Johnson said hefty penalties were needed to control the spread of the killer bug.
Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
People in England can be fined for leaving their homes without a reasonable excuse from November 5 as new coronavirus laws came into effect.
It means people will face fixed penalty notices and potentially a criminal record for being caught going away on holiday – as that’s not a named excuse on the government’s list.
Businesses can face extra penalties too for not upholding the laws in their premises.
And people can still face fines for not self-isolating when they are ordered to and for attending or organising gatherings.
In Reading, Berks, cops arrived at a house to find more than 50 people – many drunk – partying and mingling to loud music.
After stopping the illegal gathering, the home’s three residents – believed to be the organisers of the party – were EACH hit with a £10,000 fine.
Chief Superintendent Rob France said: “We would rather not have to issue fines such as these.
“However in this case our officers encountered a blatant disregard for the rules that are in place and this party posed a clear risk of transmission of the virus within the Reading community.
“Not only do breaches of this kind put people at risk from a health perspective, but they put pressure on policing resources taking them away from people who may be in urgent need of help.”
People in England can be fined £200 for leaving their homes without a reasonable excuse from November 5 as new coronavirus laws came into effect.
Don’t forget too that those not wearing face coverings where it is compulsory such as public transport, shops and supermarkets could also face fines.
People can still be hit with fines for not self-isolating when they are ordered to (£1,000) and for attending or organising gatherings (up to £10,000).
And firms risk extra penalties too for not upholding the laws in their premises.
Businesses can be fined £1,000 for a first offence, £2,000 for the second, £4,000 for the third and £10,000 for the fourth and subsequent breaches.
Boris Johnson recently unveiled £10,000 fines for people in England who fail to isolate while outlining his plan for a winter of lockdowns to beat coronavirus.
A senior government source said: “There’s not much on the cards to look forward to. The next six months’ll be pretty s***.”
Lockdown restrictions have continually been eased since Wednesday, May 13.
But from September 14, the government reduced the number of people allowed to meet outdoors in England from 3o to just six.
And less than two months later, England’s second lockdown in England began on November 5.
The temporary four-week shut-down is in place until at least until December 2.
Home Office officials said that those who refuse to accept on-the-spot fines will be arrested and taken to court.
A source said: “Those who repeatedly break the rules need to know they could face a criminal record.”
Half of coronavirus fines go unpaid in England and Wales, reports The Guardian.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said that thousands of flouters refusing to pay up would be referred for prosecution.
The Guardian warns that this will have an impact on the court system, as it’s already struggling with a massive backlog of cases.
In total, 20,223 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were issued under lockdown restrictions between March 27 and October 19, according to the latest figures from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
Sky News reports that, in England, 17,451 fines were dished out – compared to 2,772 in Wales.
Also, in England, 65 fines were given in Tier 1 (Medium), 79 in Tier 2 (High) and 124 in Tier 3 (Very High).
In London, the Metropolitan Police has responded to more than 1,000 unlicensed events since the end of June, receiving information on more than 200 events across the city in a single weekend.
Notable incidents of fines being issued include:
