NINE people have been fined £200 each after police were called to a house party in Amesbury.

Police officers attended the address in Shears Drive at around 4.45pm yesterday (February 1) and found nine adults and one child having a barbecue in the garden.

The nine adults, who were aged between 20 and 44 and all lived in the Amesbury and Salisbury areas, have been issued with fixed penalty notices.

They have been fined £200 in line with the Government's rules for gatherings with under 15 people in attendance.

Superintendent Dave Minty, from Wiltshire Police, said he was disappointed by the blatant breach of the lockdown rules.

He said: "Following on from the house party in Swindon over the weekend, which had 23 people in attendance, it is shocking to see a similar incident in Amesbury yesterday.

"It goes without saying that there can be no excuse for these types of gatherings - the rules are crystal clear and have been in place for some time.

"We are now in our third national lockdown and everybody knows that we are all being asked to limit social contact and stay at home to protect the NHS.

"The people organising and attending these parties are showing a selfish disregard for the health and safety of the general public and we will not tolerate it."

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