University students hit with £10,000 fines after hosting house party

They hosted a party attended by over 100 people

Three students from the University of East Anglia have each been handed hefty £10,000 fines after hosting a house party at the weekend. The house party was attended by over 100 people, although the students were meant to be self-isolating as some had reported coronavirus symptoms. https://twitter.com/nikkijfox/status/1315625388220059648?s=09 The party is believed to have been held on Bowthorpe Road in Norwich, a residential area of the city.

A statement by Norfolk Police said: "Officers were called to reports of a gathering at an address on Bowthorpe Road in Norwich at approximately 1.10am on Sunday October, 11. On arrival officers found up to 100 people attending a party at the address.

"Officers dispersed the gathering and three occupants at the address, a 19-year-old woman and two 20-year-old women, were issued with the fixed penalty notice for contravening the ban on being involved in holding a gathering of more than 30 people.

"As a police force, we fully appreciate how difficult the past six months have been for the county and we are pleased that the vast of majority of people have played and continue to play their part, following the guidance and legislation helping to protect Norfolk and prevent the spread of COVID-19."

[caption id="attachment_252861" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Students across the UK have not been allowed to leave their accommodation. (Photo: Getty)[/caption] Across the UK, students have generally been urged not to leave their accommodation due to restrictions put in place by the government. However, research conducted by The Guardian found that Covid-19 infection rates are as much as seven times higher among the student population. Many experts have used this as evidence to suggest that reopening colleges and universities in the midst of the pandemic is not a good idea. For example, in the USA, towns in which a college or university had reopened saw as many as 3,000 new cases of coronavirus emerge. There is a general feeling that the same could occur in England and Wales, where increasing cases of Covid-19 among students could seep into the general population.