Public urged to 'do the right thing' after rise in house parties

Police have revealed a substantial rise in calls to attend house parties across Scotland.

Officers were granted new powers to break-up indoor gatherings, with more than 15 people from more than one household, last month as part of efforts to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Between Friday and yesterday (Sunday September 6) officers attended 391 house gatherings in response to reports of alleged breaches of coronavirus regulations - a 23% rise on the previous weekend.

Officers handed out 18 fines, with the rest being given advice and dispersed.

Meanwhile police attended 2,127 incidents across Scotland over the weekend following reports of noise, public nuisance and disturbance. This is an increase of 449 on the same weekend in 2019.

Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said: "Our approach has been really consistent throughout the course of dealing with this pandemic. We are trying to educate and encourage everybody to comply with the law for the right reasons, we are expecting people to take personal responsibility.

“These figures show that we will intervene, using the powers we have to disperse indoor gatherings which breach the regulations and will enforce where necessary.

"It is important to emphasise we will not tolerate blatant disregard for the current legislation which is in place to help stop the spread of the virus.

"I would reiterate we are asking people to take personal responsibility to do the right thing and remember the purpose of these measures is to aid the collective effort to stay safe, protect others and save lives by preventing the virus from spreading."

Elsewhere, two men have been charged following a police investigation into a mass gathering at a rented property in Midlothian.

Officers were called to the property in Gorebridge at 12.20am on Sunday August and discovered around 300 people in attendance.

The group was dispersed and a 29-year-old man was issued with a fine.

Further inquiries have resulted in two men, aged 20 and 29, being arrested and charged in connection with the incident. They are scheduled to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date and the investigation remains ongoing.