Twelve people who hid from police after breaking tier 4 coronavirus restrictions to play dominoes at a restaurant in London have been fined.
Metropolitan Police officers were called to a restaurant in Whitechapel Road, Tower Hamlets, east London, on 29 December.
When they arrived, the restaurant manager assured them that everyone inside worked there.
However, the officers eventually discovered a group of 12 people hiding in a dark room.
They had gathered in the establishment to play dominoes, the Met said in a statement.
Tower Hamlets Council has been asked to consider issuing a fine to the owner of the restaurant for breaching tier 4 Covid-19 restrictions, the force added.
Fixed penalty notices for breaking Covid-19 restrictions range depending on the offence, with police having the authority to issue a £200 fine for gathering in a public or private place.
Chief Inspector Pete Shaw, from the Met’s central east command unit, said: “The rules under tier 4 are in place to keep all of us safe, and they do not exempt people from gathering to play games together in basements.
"The fact that these people hid from officers clearly shows they knew they were breaching the rules and have now been fined for their actions.”
