Police on Saturday night raided a party with about 150 people in Birmingham, and discovered another venue hosting a makeshift bar dubbed The Covid Arms.
About 70 people at the party received fixed penalty notices of £200 ($279) each, and the DJ could be issued a £10,000 ($13,938) fine, West Midlands Police said.
It’s believed that around 50 people fled the building—located near an area known as The Jewellery Quarter in central Birmingham—when police arrived in the early hours of Sunday, including fleeing via the roof, according to thermal images from police drones.
West Midlands Police said that they were aware that a bar had been set up in the building, and that officers forced their way in after seeing taxis dropping people off at the building.
One officer suffered a minor injury when people smashed open a door to breakout, and some officers were pelted with bottles, the police said.
On the same night, the West Midlands Police officers found that a garage workshop in Dudley Port had also been converted into a bar, with a sign on the wall that reads “The Covid Arms.”
The police said they gave the owner a £1,000 ($1,394) fine, but let the other 12 people go.
“While there’s much to be hopeful of in terms of the rollout of coronavirus vaccines, people must remember that we are still in lockdown and the virus is still a real threat to communities across the West Midlands,” he said.
“We thank those people who are supporting our efforts to keep the public safe by sticking to the rules and staying home. They are saving lives.”
England has been under the third national lockdown since Jan. 6. Pubs and bars are not allowed to open, along with other businesses that are deemed “non-essential.”
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