Police chief welcomes drop in number of house parties across Greater Manchester

Last weekend they received 432 reports of house parties across Greater Manchester - despite the current restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There were 141 reports on Friday, April 17, 85 the following day and 206 on Sunday, April 19.

That was a 52 per cent reduction on the previous weekend, when there were 894 reports of house parties.

Greater Manchester Police say there has also been a reduction in reports of other types of gatherings.

A total of 97 fixed penalty notices have been issued across the region, five of which were issued last weekend to people breaching coronavirus legislation.

Personalities from across Greater Manchester have continued to spread the #StayHomeSaveLives message and in light of the good weather forecast this weekend, fresh pleas have come from Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and boxer Anthony Crolla.

Their messages - alongside other familiar faces such as Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Coronation Street’s Dan Brocklebank – will continue to be shared across Greater Manchester on a mobile media van.

The van, which started its tour of the region on Saturday, aims is to remind people of the message to stay at home and encourage people to follow government advice.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes said: “Despite the warm, appealing weather, we’ve seen a reduction in reports made concerning house parties across Greater Manchester which is really encouraging as it demonstrates that the vast majority of the public are following government regulations and staying at home.

“Whilst we are comparing the number of reports made this weekend to Easter Bank Holiday weekend, it’s still a reassuring analysis as the #StayHomeSaveLives message seems to be reaching an increasing number of people. We will get through this together as a community.

“I want to thank everyone for complying with the emergency coronavirus legislation, it’s there to protect the NHS and save lives and the majority of people across Greater Manchester are clearly doing their part to accomplish this. We will continue to engage with our communities at this challenging time.

“I would also like to thank everyone who has helped us to urge the public to say home over the last couple of weeks - from footballers, to frontline nurses and firefighters. I can only reiterate the vital words in their messages – let’s stay at home, let’s protect our NHS and let’s save lives.”

Anyone with concerns about people they believe are breaching the government’s regulations can contact police by calling 101 or via LiveChat or the website.

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