THIS is the shocking moment cops stormed a “ridiculous” illegal lockdown poker party.
Officers slapped the 26 players with Covid fines after finding them crammed inside the flat in Birmingham yesterday.
Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
Bodycam footage shows the flouters attempting to plea with cops by claiming they threw the “little party” as they were “really fed up”.
But the officers appeared to be having none of it – with one slamming the brazen rulebreakers.
The cop tells them: “This is a clear breach of coronavirus restrictions.
“This is ridiculous. Fifteen hundred people died today. All of you are going to be getting a fine for being here.
“We need your details, we’ll process you one by one, then you can go out the door but we need to know who the owner of the flat is.”
FLOUT WARNING
The party came as lockdown revellers were warned they face £800 fines if they attend a house party as new regulations came into place last night.
Anyone attending an illegal indoor party or rave of 15 people will be slapped with the penalty, which is four times high than the previous fine.
Police will still issue fines for any illegal gathering of two or more people.
These start at £200 for a first offence but rise to £10,000 fines for organisers of gatherings of over 30 people.
Home Secretary Priti Patel announced the new stricter measures last week as the government continues its battle to get the coronavirus under control.
She said at the time: “The science is clear – such irresponsible behaviour poses a significant threat to public health.
“Not just to those in attendance but also to police offices who shut them down.”
West Midlands Police confirmed they are now hunting the poker party organiser.
The force tweeted: “Thank you to everybody who is continuing to follow the current restrictions by staying at home, keeping their distance and ultimately saving lives & saving the NHS.”
