A woman from Milton Keynes is facing a £10,000 fine for breaching COVID-19 regulations by organising a house party with over 100 guests.
The 20-year-old, who has not been named, rented out an Airbnb near Maidstone in Kent at the end of May 2021.
Kent Police was called just before 4:30am on Sunday 30th May following reports of a disturbance. Local residents had made reports of noise and a fight in the street.
Police officers say that the address had been advertised online as a holiday rental property but was instead attended by more than 100 people who had travelled to the area for a pre-arranged party.
An investigation led officers to establish that the person who had made the booking to use the property was a 20-year-old woman from Milton Keynes.
On Friday 25 June, her home address was visited by colleagues Thames Valley Police where she was issued with a fixed penalty notice for holding a gathering of more than 30 people in a private dwelling, in breach of the current regulations.
Nicola Faulconbridge, Assistant Chief Constable from Kent Police, said: "We must all remain mindful that we are still in a pandemic and it remains against the law to organise and attend large indoor gatherings like house parties and unlicensed music events. In these situations, our officers will move quickly to enforcement and those found responsible will be issued with a fixed penalty notice.
"It is understandable that with the recent easing of restrictions, warmer weather and international sporting events, people will want to start socialising again. However, we urge everyone to remember that regulations apply to large gatherings, to understand the serious risk the pandemic still poses and to avoid undermining everything we have collectively achieved so far.'
"As we move towards the next key date in July, officers will continue to work alongside partner agencies to ensure compliance by remaining visible and accessible whilst policing the regulations in a sensible and proportionate way, but they will not hesitate to use their enforcement powers when necessary."
It is expected that the current rules on social contact will be eased on 19th July, in line with stage four of the Government's roadmap.
