Seven people slapped with £200 fine after police break up illegal house party in Nelson

Police were called out following complaints from neighbours about the noise at the illegal gathering. Four men and three women were issued with £200 fixed penalty notices.

Officers also visited the house of a man who was supposed to be self-isolating, having recently returned from abroad, but was nowhere to be seen. Following a phone call from a relative, the man returned home within five minutes and was issued with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice.

A spokesman for Nelson, Brierfield and Barrowford police said: "While the vast majority of the community are doing their bit to try and keep the coronavirus infection rate as low as possible, there is a minority who are putting the health and safety of others at risk by acting in a selfish and reckless manner.

"We will continue to target these individuals, particularly those who repeatedly hold parties or deliberately cause harm to our communities by not following the restrictions, such as self-isolating where necessary.

"We would like to thank the majority of our communities who have tried so hard to comply with restrictions and ask them to please carry on.

"We know how hard this is, but we need to maintain that shared purpose we had in the first lockdown to defeat the virus and, ultimately, save lives."