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Police fined 12 members of a soccer team who claimed to be from the same household during a pub visit.
Players were challenged by a concerned staff member while drinking at South Tyneside Sunday night.
Not convinced that the men were from the same house, police were called in and the group was fined for violating coronavirus regulations.
The men received fines of £ 200 each, which could be reduced to £ 100 if they pay within 14 days, according to Northumbria Policeman.
Chief Superintendent Janice Hutton said: “This group showed blatant disregard for the rules that exist to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“Actions like this undermine the efforts that most others are making to protect themselves, their family, friends and communities in general.”
She added: “We will continue to work closely with our communities and offer counseling to people who have mistakenly broken restrictions.
“However, as we have made clear, when people choose to ignore existing measures, we are committed to taking compliance measures to protect our communities.”
Police have refused to reveal the name of the football team or the pub.
South Tyneside is currently subject to England’s Tier 2 restrictions, which means mixing households indoors is prohibited. “rule of six” applies to private gardens and outdoor spaces, and pubs and restaurants may remain open, but home mixing is not allowed and a 10pm curfew is observed.
