Hundreds of students gathered at a Liverpool park this afternoon as part of St Patrick’s Day celebrations, despite the national lockdown.
Police were sent to Sefton Park after footage shared on Twitter and Snapchat showed crowds drinking in the sun as they flouted Covid-19 guidelines.
By the time they were moved on, crowds had left swathes of litter across the park.
Rules set out as part of easing lockdown mean one person can meet another from another household, but there should be no more than two people altogether.
Merseyside Police have created a dispersal zone covering four parks in the city, which grants officers additional powers to move people on in the park if they are suspected of anti-social behaviour.
Chief Inspector Karl Baldwin said: ‘Such blatant disregard of the Covid-19 regulations, which are in place to protect our communities, will not be tolerated by Merseyside Police.
Hundreds of students were gathered in Sefton Park, Liverpool, earlier today as part of St Patrick’s Day celebrations
Police have condemned the crowd for their ‘blatant disregard of Covid-19’ regulations, after footage was shared online earlier today
‘We are still in a national lockdown and large gatherings, either indoors or outdoors, are currently not permitted under the current rules which state that you can only mix outdoors with one other person outside your household or support bubble.
‘Now, more than ever, people should be taking heed of the regulations, so that infection rates can continue to drop, and we can meet the criteria necessary for easing lockdown in the upcoming weeks and months.
‘We know that adhering to the rules over the past year and not seeing family and friends has been really difficult but we all need to pull together and follow the rules as such reckless behaviour now will put any future easing of the lockdown rules in jeopardy.
Under current Covid-19 regulations, no more than two people are allowed to meet up outside
Merseyside Police has created a dispersal zone covering four parks across Liverpool, to break up any more St Patrick’s Day parties
Ch Insp Karl Baldwin warned: ‘By flouting the rules in this way you not only risk catching and spreading coronavirus but also put yourself at risk receiving a substantial fine’
‘We need to do everything we can to protect the public during this pandemic and, rest assured, police will not hesitate to take action when people show such blatant disregard for the rules as we are seeing in Sefton Park this afternoon.
‘We would urge people who are planning to go the park in large groups of multiple households this afternoon to think again as by flouting the rules in this way you not only risk catching and spreading coronavirus but also put yourself at risk receiving a substantial fine.’
The dispersal zone created by Merseyside Police covers Sefton Park, as well as nearby Princes Park, Greenbank Park and Toxteth Park Cemetery and will run until 6am tomorrow.
It gives officers and PCSOs powers to move people along and order them not to return for up to 24 hours.
Under the legislation, officers have the power to seize any item, including vehicles, used in the commission of anti-social behaviour.
Should a person who has previously been directed to leave the area return, an offence would be committed, which they may ultimately be arrested for.
Swathes of litter was left scattered across the park after hundreds of students gathered in Liverpool for St Patrick’s Day
Footage of the gathering showed people drinking in the sun in large groups. A dispersal zone will cover Sefton Park, Princes Park, Greenbank Park and Toxteth Park Cemetery until 6am tomorrow
Supt Mark Wiggins added: ‘We have already dispersed groups of people who chose irresponsibly to ignore Covid regulations and the dispersal order introduced this evening helps us to prevent similar issues from recurring.
‘This Dispersal Zone is not about bothering people going about their legitimate daily business, but an appropriate response to the gatherings we saw in the park this afternoon which involved a large number of irresponsible individuals gathering in large groups and who took no account of the health implications to others from the current pandemic.
‘This will not be tolerated by Merseyside Police.’
Revellers wore Irish sports kits and Guiness-themed hats as they marked St Patrick’s Day. Liverpool councillor Paul Brant urged people to celebrate the day ‘responsibly by following the rules’
Liverpool Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Paul Brant, told the Liverpool Echo earlier: ‘The city has worked so hard to get the infection levels back down, and breaking the social distancing guidelines risks throwing away those hard won gains with a flash of recklessness.
‘This period before there is full rollout of the vaccine to all adults is the moment of maximum danger if we drop our guard.
‘This has been a long hard winter for all of us, but we only have to look across to Paris to see how quickly a third wave of the virus can return. If you want to celebrate St Patrick’s day, do it responsibly by following the rules.’