Four students have been fined £10,000 each for breaking the coronavirus rules and holding a house party in an area with high rates of infection and tier three restrictions expected soon.
The party took place in Lenton, Nottingham, on Tuesday night, and was broken up by Community Protection Officers.
However, when the officers came back later on they discovered that more than 30 people were hiding in the basement, bedrooms, and kitchen of the house.
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The students, from Nottingham Trent University, have all been slapped with a large fine and suspended from the university.
In another incident in the area, another student has been fined £200 for a party in their halls of residence at Blenheim Court in St Anns.
Nottinghamshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: "This needs to stop.
"The claims that police presented as a barrier to the students' fun are astounding.
"How many fines do we have to give before the message is understood?
"We do not take pleasure in handing out fines and would much rather be in a situation where students could enjoy themselves but the reality is that if people do not follow the Covid-19 restrictions, more people will die.
"The majority of students are following the rules but there obviously is a significant number of them who feel as though they can show blatant disregard for the safety of those around them."
She continued: "We have demonstrated that we will take action where necessary and I'd like to thank the Community Protection Officers for spotting the party and engaging with the occupants at the house in Lenton last night.
"The students were given the opportunity for the situation to end with a warning but instead decided it was appropriate to lie to officers.
"This behaviour will not be tolerated and I urge those who are considering to host parties to think again.
"We will be working closely with Nottingham Trent University and Nottingham City Council to make sure that all breaches of Covid legislation are attended and dealt with appropriately."
A statement from Nottingham Trent University also said: "We have been notified by Nottinghamshire Police this morning that they have imposed £10,000 fines on NTU students.
"On receipt of that notification we immediately launched an investigation, and each student has been suspended pending the outcome of our investigation.
"Any student who is found to have breached our disciplinary regulations can face a range of sanctions, up to and including expulsion.
"We have repeatedly made clear to all students that they - like everyone - have a crucial role to play in limiting the spread of this virus.
"We know that the vast majority of our students respect the guidelines and advice.
"We will not tolerate any breaches, and where we have evidence of any breaches, we will always take immediate action under our disciplinary processes."
Nottingham is currently under tier two restrictions, but could be moved to tier three in the very near future due to the increase in spread of the virus.
Those in tier two areas are banned from mixing with other households indoors, with only two households permitted to mix outdoors.
Also, they - like everyone else - are subject to the national 'rule of six' and 10pm curfew on hospitality venues.
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