Two men have been charged after more than 300 people attended a house party in defiance of coronavirus rules.
Police slammed the revellers’ “blatant disregard” for Covid-19 restrictions after officers were called to the rented property in Gorebridge, Midlothian, at 12.20am on Sunday, August 30.
They discovered a group of around 300 people which was dispersed, with a 29-year-old man issued with a fixed penalty notice.
Further enquiries 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.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon criticised those who attended the party as “utterly irresponsible”.
Current lockdown restrictions limit the number of people gathering indoors to eight from three different households.
At the end of last month, police were given new powers to break up indoor gatherings of more than 15 people from more than one household.
Last weekend, officers attended 391 house gatherings in response to reports of alleged breaches of coronavirus regulations – a 23% rise on the previous weekend – with 18 fixed penalty notices issued.
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.”
He added: “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.”
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