Police raid 100-person Halloween party in Bonnybridge

Police in Stirlingshire have charged two men after officers raided a party attended by 100 people in a village in the county on Saturday.

Officers were called to the gathering at a rented property in Bonnybridge shortly after midnight, where they discovered a 48-seater party bus and several cars parked outside.

Police Scotland said a 46-year-old man was charged with a breach of coronavirus regulations and issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) , while the organiser of the party, a 33-year-old man, was charged with culpable and reckless conduct.

The organiser is expected to appear at Falkirk Sheriff Court on Friday, November 27.

Officers were called to the gathering at a rented property in Bonnybridge shortly after midnight, where they discovered a 48-seater party bus and several cars parked outside.

Police issues the driver of the bus with a FPN and bus driver was also issued with a FPN.

A spokesperson for the force said enquiries to establish if any further offences occurred are still underway.

The news comes as Police Scotland revealed today that its officers dealt with more than 300 house gatherings over the weekend as people celebrated Halloween.

The force added that the vast majority of callouts were to gatherings of small groups of people in private houses.

In Edinburgh, police were called to a report of a house gathering in the New Town area of the city in the early hours of Sunday, November 1.

More than 300 FPNs were issued between Friday, October 30 and Sunday, November 1, and 24 people were arrested.

Police Scotland said the majority of FPNs issued were to small groups from different households meeting in homes - a breach of the regulations in place to tackle the spread of coronavirus.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “Officers dealt with a significant number of calls to house gatherings over the weekend and we have been quite clear that we will enforce the law where necessary, as the public would expect us to do.

“We are not just talking about large parties. The vast majority were smaller groups of different households meeting indoors.

“House gatherings of any size cause the virus to spread and we are asking people to do the right thing and take personal responsibility.

“I fully understand the implications the current restrictions have on our daily lives, but we cannot have people twisting the rules and disregarding the law which is there to stop the spread of coronavirus and help save lives.

“Anyone clearly breaking the law should be in no doubt that they will be met with a robust response from Police Scotland.”

In Edinburgh, police were called to a report of a house gathering in the New Town area of the city in the early hours of Sunday, November 1.

Officers found thirty students inside the property, all of whom received FPNs.

In Glasgow, officers issued 64 FPNs and charged a 26-year-old man with culpable and reckless conduct after being called to reports of an illegal Halloween party at a warehouse in Hyde Park Street around 5.30pm on Sunday, 1 November.

Officers who attended noticed many people were not wearing masks and no physical distancing was in place.

Between Friday, October 30, and Sunday, November 1, more than 3000 calls relating to nuisance, noise and disturbance were made to Police Scotland, the force added.

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