Police break up 70-person boat party in West London for breaking Covid rules

Police chiefs called it "a blatant breach of the Coronavirus rules"

Police in West London broke up a boat party with over 70 attendees on Saturday, for breaching Covid lockdown rules. Officers were called to Volt Avenue, North Acton just after 11 pm on Saturday evening, after reports of a big gathering on a moored boat. The group was then dispersed. 72 people in all were reported for the consideration of fixed penalty notices of £800, for attending an indoor gathering of over 15 people. The organisers were also reported for consideration of a £10,000 fixed penalty notice.

A total of 72 people have been reported for the consideration of a fine after they attended a party on a boat in #Ealing last night. DCI Thomas Bowen said: ""This was a blatant breach of the Coronavirus rules that are in place to save lives."https://t.co/QCzGh0O3eR

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) January 31, 2021

"This was a blatant breach of the Coronavirus rules that are in place to save lives and protect the huge pressure on the NHS," said Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Bowen, of West Area. "All the people who attended this event, which appears to have been organised on social media, have quite rightly been reported for the consideration of fines." "The Met will continue to shut down and disperse events such as this, which risk spreading a virus that has already claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people in this country." Police have also reported several other gatherings being broken up across the country on Saturday evening. In Essex, 18 revellers were fined nearly £15,000 in total after police attended an illegal house party in Sewardstonebury. The party-goers initially claimed to be filming a music video. Merseyside Police also reported issuing over 30 people with fixed penalty notices for breaching Covid regulations over the weekend, including 20 people being found at a business named Shred Fast Gym in Aintree.