Nottingham party students fined £40k 'putting lives at risk'

A group of students who were fined £40,000 for a house party were "putting lives at risk", residents say.

Four Nottingham Trent University students were fined after police found more than 30 people hiding in their house in Lenton on Tuesday night.

Nottingham has the second highest Covid infection rate in England.

Lenton Drives & Neighbours Residents' Association chairwoman Kate Loewenthal said the students "only have themselves to blame" for the fine.

Mixing of households indoors has been banned since Nottingham went into tier two restrictions on 14 October.

Ms Loewenthal said she had received calls from the "large number of elderly and vulnerable people" who were upset at the flouting of Covid restrictions by the student household.

She said: "We wouldn't wish students to be fined this much money, but there's no-one in the city or indeed the country who can say they don't know what's going on.

"If they're going to continue to put lives at risk then they only have themselves to blame."

She believes the size of the fine will act as a deterrent.

In September, a 19-year-old student was fined £10,000 for hosting a house party of 50 people in Lenton.

Ms Loewenthal said that fine "definitely had an impact in the Lenton area".

When officers attended the most recent house party on Tuesday, they were told everyone had left.

But inside they found more than 30 people hiding and, when challenged, organisers complained they should be having the "time of their lives".

Nottingham Trent University said the third-year students had been suspended, and police fined the students £10,000 each.

Assistant Chief Constable Kate Meynell told BBC Radio Nottingham: "Our approach is always to try and speak to people and explain what we're trying to achieve, but on this occasion they decided to lie to us."

Nottingham Trent University student Matt Lee believes some "students have consistently, throughout this... been breaking the rules".

"It is also possible that this small minority won't listen and will still go on about their lives thinking they're immune to this virus," he said.

"It's frustrating for those who go above and beyond to help the community at this time."

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