Nottingham Covid breach students 'should be expelled'

A police chief has said some students should be expelled for breaching Covid rules after at least 10 city parties were broken up over the weekend.

The gatherings, all in Nottingham, came after Nottinghamshire became subject to tier three restrictions on Friday.

One party, in Plumptre Street, led to the organiser being fined £10,000 and 38 guests fined £200 each.

Both of the city's universities have said they could expel the most serious rule-breakers.

Chief Constable Craig Guildford said students were not grasping the gravity of the Covid-19 situation.

As well as the Plumptre Street gathering, which was raided at 00:45 GMT on Saturday, Nottinghamshire Police said it had broken up at least nine other parties in the city on Friday and Saturday.

These included a student party in Forest Road East, where officers spotted people hiding in the garden and trying to escape through a window.

The force said 83 fines, totalling more than £26,000, had been handed out at the parties.

Mr Guildford said: "It's quite unbelievable how some people are completely ignoring the fact that people are dying and the NHS is already so stretched, with cancer treatment being halted, because of the continued spread of Covid-19.

"Sadly many of the incidents we attended overnight again were student parties.

"We know that both universities have been trying to help get the message across to students, but for some it doesn't seem to be getting through."

He said he would like to see the city's two universities expelling rule-breaking students "as a deterrent".

Both the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University said they believe the majority of their students are following guidelines, but serious rule-breakers could ultimately face expulsion.

The University of Nottingham did not say whether they had yet taken this action, but added: "The university takes swift and proportionate disciplinary action when students are found to have wilfully breached Covid restrictions."

Nottingham Trent University said it had already referred some cases to a panel which can suspend or exclude pupils and it "would not hesitate to do so again".

Last month the university suspended four students who were each fined £10,000 by police over a house party.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].