Police have handed a pub a £1000 fine after officers were called to reports of a lock-in.
Officers on dedicated coronavirus patrols walked in to The Greyhound to find a wedding party with drinks still being served, a DJ set up and a gazebo in the garden.
Officers arrived at midnight – two hours after the pub should have closed under new laws introduced last month.
Police had a complaint about noise and the size of the gathering from a member of the public, and Officers found between 60 and 70 people were gathered, with no social distancing being observed.
Police dispersed the gathered guests and then met with the licensee earlier this week.
Sgt Nick Giess, licensing lead for Birmingham, said: “This was a double whammy of breaches. Not only were they hosting a wedding party of around 60, which was twice the number allowed at the time, but they were still open at midnight with no signs of shutting down.
“No officer wants to barge in on someone’s wedding day – but we’ve got a duty to enforce these new rules to protect not only the guests, but their loved ones and the people they’ll come into contact with.
“Our officers took a sensible approach and chose not to fine the guests, but those running licensed premises should know better.
“We’ve decided to impose a £1,000 fine, and not the £10,000 maximum, because it was on a much smaller scale than some other events, and the pub has not been in trouble with us before.”
We’re continuing to engage, educate and encourage people to follow coronavirus laws, but we won’t hesitate to fine people who don’t listen.