Two teenagers have been fined £1,000 and a man has been arrested after police were called to a rave in Manchester.
The Greater Manchester Police received a call at 4.20 am on Sunday with information of a large gathering held in an empty flat on Hanover Street in the Shudehill area of the city, with the sound of loud music also reported.
Patrols from Greater Manchester Police attended the address and found a Boxing Day rave with 100 people in attendance. They dispersed the crowd and seized the music equipment.
The two teenage males, aged 17 and 18, were each given a four-figure fixed penalty notice.
A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and remains in custody and was also given a £200 notice.
Chief Inspector Colin MacDiarmid, of the force's City of Manchester division, said: "There is no denying the blatant breach of Covid legislation that took place here last night, and enquiries are ongoing to ensure the organisers of this gathering are held accountable for their unacceptable actions.
"The majority of people in Manchester have made tremendously difficult sacrifices over the Christmas period and have complied with the rules that we all have to follow; however, it is the minority of people who attend events such as this that risk undoing the hard work of everyone else,” said Ch Ins MacDiarmid.
"It is clear that the people at this gathering weren't just people from Manchester but from across the North West,” he said.
MacDiarmid said that the actions of these individuals “not only disregards the rules there to protect public health but also undermines the whole spirit of us all needing to be in this together to battle the ongoing risk of coronavirus.”
He added: "We have always, and continue to, operate by using the four Es of engaging, explaining, and encouraging the public to comply, but we will not hesitate to take enforcement action against those found to be responsible for blatant examples of flouting the rules such as this."
The UK is under strict restrictions due to the alarming rise in new cases and a new variant of coronavirus which is up to 70 per cent more transmissible. Many areas were put under tier-4 lockdown and rules prohibiting gatherings continue to be in place.
Additional reporting by agencies
