Police raided a birthday party with 60 guests last Friday after discovering a function room filled with booze and decorated with balloons and huge speakers, leaving organisers with a £10,000 fine.
Bodyworn camera footage taken by West Midlands Police officers showed dozens of revellers leaving the party at a function room in Bilston, Wolverhampton.
Inside, officers found large balloon arches and sound systems, along with a card reader and a draw of cash together with alcohol, despite the venue not being licensed to sell drink.
One reveller can be heard telling police the people leaving were attending a birthday party.
Supt Simon Inglis said the event was a ‘blatant breach of coronavirus law’.
Police arrived at the venue in Bilston, Wolverhampton last Friday night, where they discovered a birthday part with up to 60 people inside
The organisers were slapped with a £10,000 fine for breaching Covid-19 restrictions.
West Midlands Police said around 60 guests were seen pouring out the illegal party which broke rules on gatherings and social distancing.
One reveller is heard admitting to cops: ‘It was a birthday party.’
The officer replies: ‘A birthday party. Oh dear.’
Police also found a card reader and a drawer stuffed with cash suggesting an unlicensed bar was being run.
An officer is heard saying: ‘They’ve got a card machine so they must have some paperwork here.
‘Look at this cash.’
Police discovered a plugged in card machine and a drawer full of cash at the party, raising suspicions that an unlicensed bar may have been up and running
Alcohol and food lined the sides of the function room in Bilston, Wolverhampton, last Friday
Bodyworn camera footage on the officers captured dozens of people leaving the party last Friday, as officers walked in, they found balloon arches and cups of drink scattered across the room
Wolverhampton was in Tier 2 lockdown restrictions at the time, and West Midlands Police has issued the footage as a warning during the national lockdown through November.
Supt Inglis said: ‘At a critical time for the health of the city, I think the vast majority of the community would agree that it was necessary to do so on this occasion.
‘We need to be really clear to those people who are thinking of arranging or attending such event that we will take action to protect the community.
‘As well as issuing fines to those who arrange such events, those who attend also face the risk of individual fines, and we will not think twice about issuing them when necessary.
‘Overall our aim is to help the community and be there when they need us rather than issuing fines for breaches of the regulations.
‘However we will continue to stand alongside our key public health stakeholders as well as the community and issue fines when required to ensure that people comply with the rules and keep the community safe’
An organiser of the party told police at the scene they were having a birthday party. They have been fined £10,000
Alcohol was left in the kitchen as revellers fled the party as police arrived, around eight officers were called to the scene
West Midlands Police said the party was a ‘blatant breach of coronavirus law,’ Wolverhampton was under Tier 2 restrictions at the time
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: ‘We all have a key role to play in the fight against Covid-19, and the vast majority of Wulfrunians have worked incredibly hard over the last few months to prevent the spread of the virus.
‘Arranging and taking part in a party like this contravenes just about every Covid-19 regulation going, and I am sure law abiding residents will be as disgusted as I am at the actions of others who, through their thoughtlessness, are putting people’s lives at risk.’
A day after the event, Somerset and Avon Police had to break up an illegal rave at a warehouse in Yate.
Up to 800 people were thought to have attended the event, as it took police near 14 hours to enter the building and clear it of sound equipment, which has been taken to a secure location.
Officers were called out to a warehouse in Millbrook Road at around 10.30pm on Saturday and arrived within 12 minutes.
It wasn’t until around 2pm on Sunday that officers were able to enter the building, with the remaining stragglers cleared out by 3.10pm.
Chief Inspector Mark Runacres said: ‘Anyone organising an unlicensed music event does so with no thought to others and to stage something of this nature at a time when COVID-19 cases are rising in the South West will rightly make those making sacrifices incredibly angry.
Police officers rushed to the warehouse on an industrial estate in Yate after reports of an illegal rave on Saturday, but it took 14 hours to clear out revellers
‘Officers and staff will continue to examine footage captured on body worn cameras and drones in the coming days to allow appropriate action to be taken against those responsible.’
Chaos descended on a Kent beach in the summer after a jerk chicken shop’s ‘cookout’ rave saw hundreds of people attend.
Flavour Boss director Orette Williams charged £27.54 per person to attend the event in Romney March, but said the money was to cover the three coach-loads of people who attended the event and the company gave out food free of charge.
Police were seen in riot gear as hundreds attended the event, but organisers insisted no alcohol or food was sold at the event, though they did admit it ‘got out of hand’.
Plastic bags, drink cans and fast-food containers were strewn across a vast swathe of the beach as families left to avoid the chaotic scenes.
Covid-19 guidelines at the time meant it was illegal to hold a gathering of more than 30 people without permission from the local authority and police.
Mr Williams said he was given permission for the event but it was withdrawn 48 hours beforehand after police found out that coach-loads of people would be attending.