A man has been given a £10,000 fixed penalty notice after police officers closed down a party with over 50 people in attendance in Stockport.
Greater Manchester Police has confirmed that at around 1.45am on Saturday 24th October, officers were called to reports of a party at a rented address with a DJ and loud music on St Petergate in Stockport and upon arrival dispersed a group of over 50 people who were in attendance.
Following the dispersal of this party, officers carried out enquiries with the owner of the address.
The owner of the property admitted they had hired the location out unknowing that it was going to be used as a party venue.
Following an investigation, officers were able to identify the organiser of this party and last night issued him with a £10,000 fine for the breach of coronavirus (COVID-19) legislation.
Andrew Sidebotham – Superintendent of Greater Manchester Police – said: “The COVID legislation is put in place to protect our community and keep us safe during this pandemic. This party was a blatant disregard of those rules, taking our already stretched resources away from those who may be in desperate need of urgent help.
“This behaviour is completely unacceptable, and I hope that this FPN acts as a reminder that we will not tolerate such flagrant disregard of the coronavirus legislation.
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“Although the property was rented, our officers were able to identify the organiser of this party and ensure he faced the consequences for risking the public’s health at a time when we need to be looking out for each other.
“I would like to thank those who are abiding by the legislation as I know that these are strange and difficult times we are currently living in, but it is so important we play our part in ensuring we keep our community safe.”
You can find more information via the Greater Manchester Police website here.
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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.
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