Greater Manchester Police issued more than 100 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) in one weekend for lockdown breaches.
Between 3pm Friday 15 January to 7am Sunday 17 January 110 FPNs were issued across Greater Manchester to those breaking COVID-19 regulations.
After New Year’s Eve, this is the highest number of breaches in a weekend since last August.
Most of the fines were for house parties, but four were given to a group who were travelling from Preston to Bolton for a takeaway.
Officers also broke up larger gatherings, including one in Cheetham Hill where over 40 people attended.
According to police data, the number of house parties has increased 16% from last month and the average number of attendees has risen to 15 or more.
Chief Inspector Carol Martin said: “There is a minority who think they are above the law.”
“It is incredibly frustrating to those abiding by the rules that some people are showing such a blatant disregard for the current regulations.”
“Not only are they putting their own lives and those of their loved ones at stake, they also risk undoing the hard work of everyone else continuing to make the necessary sacrifices at this time.”
To combat people having gatherings, the government announced on Thursday that the fine for attending a party of 15 or more will be increased to £800. This doubles with every repeat offence, up to £6,400.
Current lockdown regulation states people can not meet others they do not live with or that are not in their support bubble.
These latest fines bring the total of FPNs administered in Greater Manchester up to 2,600 since August.
