A party organiser was given a £10,000 fine and 38 of his guests were given £200 fines for flouting Covid-19 restrictions – as England prepares for a second national lockdown.
Officers were called to the property in Plumptre Street in the city centre at around 12.45am on Saturday, October 31.
The occupier of the flat was given the £10,000 fine for organising a gathering of more than 30 people, believed to be students, while the guests were fined £200 for disregarding Tier 3 restrictions which forbid people meeting indoors with people outside their household or support bubble.
They were among a total of 83 fines that have been handed out so far this weekend after officers were called to respond to a series of parties and gatherings overnight on Friday and Saturday.
Yesterday the Government announced that England will enter a second national lockdown for four weeks from Thursday, as the spread of the deadly virus escalates.
Another of the weekend’s incidents included a report of students having a party in Arthur Street, the Arboretum, at around 2.30am today (Sunday, November 1).
When officers arrived, they found 14 people gathering, including a DJ setup in the basement.
A student party was also reported in Forest Road East, the Arboretum, at around 2am on the same day.
Officers found 18 people, including some who tried to escape through a window and others who were hiding in the garden.
The other calls-outs this weekend were to gatherings in Colville Street, the Arboretum, Lake Street, the Arboretum, Seely Road, The Park, Queen Street, in the city centre, Wheeler Gate, in the city centre, North Church Street in the city centre, and Johnson Road, Lenton.
Officers also gave a formal warning to a woman after they dispersed a group of people who had gathered at a flat and communal room in North Sherwood Street in the city centre last night.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “It’s quite unbelievable how some people are completely ignoring the fact that people are dying and the NHS is already so stretched with cancer treatment being halted because of the continued spread of Covid-19.
“The only way to get this under control is by everyone in the community sticking to the legislation and taking responsibility.
“Thankfully most people in the community understand the seriousness of the situation and are playing their part. But there always seems to be a few who think their social life is more important than other people’s health.
“Sadly many of the incidents we attended overnight again were student parties. We know that both universities have been trying to help get the message across to students but for some it doesn’t seem to be getting through.”
Chief Constable Guildford added that officers would continue to hand out fines in increasingly focussed efforts to those who disregard the restrictions and he hoped to see universities expel students as a strong deterrent.
“It is only by working together to follow the legislation that we will be able to control the spread of the virus,” he said.
“I would like to thank everyone who is taking their personal responsibility seriously and assure them that we will increasingly take action against those who needlessly put others at risk.”
By Olimpia Zagnat
Featured photo: Olimpia Zagnat.