Up until 2 December, people can now be hit with a £1,000 fine for failing to self-isolate when ordered to, with the penalty increasing up to £10,000 for repeat offences. Attending or organising large gatherings exceeding 30 people also carries a £10,000 fine, while businesses face the same penalty for refusing to comply with restrictions. Here are 11 of the biggest fines that have been issued by police for flouting the rules.
. A police officer wearing a protective face mask patrols the crowd as protesters gather in Trafalgar Square in central London to "expose the truth about Covid and lockdown" at a demonstration organised by Save our Rights on August 29, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP) (Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Several £10,000 penalties have been issued by police Photo: TOLGA AKMEN
. Yorkshire farm wedding - £10,000
The landowner of Scarecrow Farm in Leeds was fined £10,000 for hosting a wedding celebration in a marquee, which had between 100 and 300 people in attendance. Photo: Stock
. Manchester house party - £10,000
Police issued a 38 year old man a £10,000 fine for hosting a party with more than 50 people inside his two bedroom flat in Manchester city centre. No guests were social distancing or wearing face coverings and music as being played through a sound system, including commercial-sized speakers. Photo: Christopher Furlong
. Nottingham student party
Four students were fined by Nottinghamshire police after hosting a house party. The students told officers everyone had left the gathering when they arrived at the address, but around 30 attendees were found hiding in the upstairs bedrooms, kitchen and basement of the property. Photo: Christopher Furlong
. London wedding - £10,000
The owner of Tudor Rose in Southall, London was issued a £10,000 fine by police for hosting a wedding reception attended by more than 100 people. Photo: Shutterstock
9. Piccadilly protest - £10,000
The organiser of an anti-lockdown protest at Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester was issued a £10,000 fine, after it was attended by around 600 people. Paul Boys, a fitness trainer and ‘ex-military veteran’, has said he will contest it after insisting the rally “wasn’t illegal.” Photo: OLI SCARFF
10. Piers Corbyn anti-lockdown rally - £10,000
The brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn became one of the first people to receive a £10,000 penalty for hosting a gathering of more than 30 people. Corbyn was arrested and fined for organising a demonstration in Trafalgar Square in London against lockdown restrictions Photo: Peter Summers
11. Wigan cup of tea - £200
A man was issued a fixed penalty notice, which start at £200, for breaching Covid regulations to visit a friend’s house for a cup of tea. Greater Manchester Police said the man “tried to lie about why he was there” after being found out. The fine for leaving home without a reasonable excuse doubles for every breach, up to a maximum of £6,400. Photo: Shutterstock