One £10,000 Penalty Notice Issued But County Generally Compliant With Restrictions Over New Year

Published on: 2 Jan, 2021
Updated on: 2 Jan, 2021

A £10,000 fixed penalty notice was issued by Surrey Police after discovering a large gathering at an address in Kingswood, near Tadworth, in the early hours today (January 2). But Surrey communities generally complied with Tier 4 restrictions and no summons for holding large gatherings were issued by the police.

In Kingswood, police officers, on patrol around 2.30am, noticed a large number of cars going into an address in Stubbs Lane. An occupant at the address claimed that they were filming a video shoot for a wedding party promotion.

More than 30 vehicles were parked at the address with one car attempting to make off upon police arrival. The car was stopped nearby with four people inside, who claimed they were attending the address for a wedding.

Police set up a cordon at the entrance to the address to enable the cars to leave, while noting the number plates of the vehicles in attendance, eventually managing to disperse the majority of the guests.

Surrey Police has renewed its appeal to local communities to quietly mark New Year in their own home and/or bubble in line with Tier 4 restrictions.

Under current coronavirus restrictions, the whole county remains in Tier 4 which means that residents must stay at home and not meet up with other groups or households indoors or out.

Ali Barlow

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Ali Barlow, responsible for local policing in Surrey, said: “We know that this remains a challenging time and that everyone is doing their best to adapt and follow the rules in place for everyone’s safety.

“We appreciate that friends and family will want to come together for special occasions and we are grateful to the majority who are adhering to the restrictions and playing their part in keeping loved ones safe and therefore supporting our frontline health colleagues.

“Our well-established policing approach of engaging, educating and explaining remains the same. However, where there are exceptional cases, only as a last resort and where people show a blatant disregard for the rules, we will take enforcement action.”

Share This Post