Watch: Police issue £2.4k of Covid fines after party-goers hide in bedrooms

Police have released bodycam footage of officers breaking up a house party which went against coronavirus restrictions.

A house party was reported to Avon and Somerset Police at about 11pm on Friday 23 April in Redland’s Alexandra Park.

Officers can be heard asking a small group of people where the rest of the guests were.

A number of people initially attempted to hide from police before eventually coming downstairs when an officer said they were going to search other rooms.

Six people in their 20s received £800 fixed penalty notices for organising a house party of more than 15 people.

It was one in a string of incidents officers responded to after reports of groups breaching current Covid-19 restrictions.

Earlier the same evening a party was broken up in the St Paul's area of Bristol where eight people were handed £200 fixed penalty notices (FPNs).

Police also attended The Waggon pub in Taunton after complaints of a lock-in on the premises.

Indoor mixing is not yet permitted by Covid regulations. Credit: Google

When officers arrived the doors were closed but a small number of people could be seen drinking and dancing inside.

Seven fixed penalty notices were given to those breaking restrictions in the pub.

Inspector Ruth Gawler said: “The vast majority of people have played their part by adhering to the lockdown rules at the start of the year and we’re thankful they are continuing to comply with the restrictions and advice currently in place.“However, there is a small minority of people who are selfishly choosing to break the rules that are designed to help save lives."

  • Since the start of the pandemic there has been:

Inspector Gawler continued: “Our approach to dealing with such incidents remains the same – we will engage with the public, explain the rules and encourage them to comply. But enforcement through fines remains an option, especially for those responsible for the blatant and deliberate breaches we’ve been called out to deal with in recent days.“We fully understand everyone is delighted by the easing of restrictions, but we continue to urge people to be cautious and follow the rules to limit the spread of Covid, which has already claimed thousands of lives across the country.”

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