Over 100 fines for Covid regulation breaches issued this weekend

Photo: Brian Jackson - stock.adobe.com

The majority of fines were issued following house parties in private residences, and there were also some larger gatherings which police responded to

More than 100 fines have been issued by Greater Manchester Police for Covid regulation breaches this weekend.

Between 3pm on Friday 15 January and 7am on Sunday 17 January, police issued 110 fines across the region, bringing the total issued by GMP since August to 2,600.

The majority of fines were issued following house parties in private residences, and there were also some larger gatherings which police responded to.

People attending house parties in Hulme, Salford and Cheetham Hill on Saturday and Sunday were all issued with the fines.

On Friday evening in Bolton, officers stopped to assist a broken down vehicle and subsequently four fines were issued to the occupants who said they were travelling from Preston to Bolton to pick up a takeaway.

Chief Inspector Carol Martin, of GMP's Covid response team, said: "The majority of people across Greater Manchester are following the Government's guidance - we would like to thank them for doing their bit throughout the pandemic. However, there is a minority who think they are above the law.

“It is incredibly frustrating to those abiding by the rules that some people are showing such a blatant disregard for the current regulations. Not only are they putting their own lives and those of their loves ones at stake, they also risk undoing the hard work of everyone else continuing to make the necessary sacrifices at this time.

"We would like to reassure people that dedicated teams of officers are responding to reports of non-compliance and are continuing to follow the national lead by engaging with members of the public, explaining the law and encouraging compliance, but our officers will not hesitate to take enforcement action if people are found to be flouting the rules."