Seven women fined for travelling together in limousine
16 November 2020, 19:42
Seven women have been fined by police for breaching coronavirus lockdown restrictions after they were caught travelling together in a limousine.
Officers from West Midlands Police stopped the group - all from different households - on Saturday night in Bilston, near Wolverhampton.
The women in their 20s, 30s and 40s initially claimed they lived in the same household, the force said.
But officers established this was not the case when they left the vehicle in Sedgley, near Dudley, and fined them £200 each.
In a now-deleted tweet, Bilston Police wrote: “Our team were astonished to stop a Limo in Bilston last night with 7 females on board all from different households, completely in breach of coronavirus regulations set by Parliament. All were fined £200.”
Under national lockdown rules in England which came into force on 5 November, people must only leave home for essential reasons and are only allowed to meet with one other household outdoors.
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A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said: “Seven woman have been issued with Fixed Penalty Notices after travelling together in a stretched limousine from Bilston to Sedgley in breach of Covid restrictions.
“The vehicle was initially stopped in Bilston, where all seven, aged in their 20s, 30s and 40s, alleged they lived in the same household.
“On alighting the vehicle in Sedgley it became clear to officers this was not the case and the fines were issued.”
The force said it had issued 155 fixed penalty notices and dispersed 179 people in the first week of the second national lockdown, with one person arrested for breaching the rules.
