Police issued £34,000 worth of fines after shutting down a party of 150 people at Sheffield University’s Ranmoor student village.
The organiser was fined the maximum penalty of £10,000 with 30-40 others charged a fixed penalty notice of £800 for attending.
14 officers were called to the accommodation by university security staff in the early hours of Thursday 4th.
Upon arriving at the scene, South Yorkshire Police bodycam footage shows some partygoers attempting to flee through fire exits with one police officer injured in the rush.
Ali Bywater, Sheffield city inspector, said: “The actions of all those present were incredibly selfish and the fact that so many went to great lengths to flee from officers is evidence that they knew what they were doing was wrong.”
Calling it a “blatant disregard” for safety and “absolutely appalling”, Bywater highlighted that the “vast majority of people are working so hard and making huge sacrifices to adhere to the rules.
“Parties like these are completely unfair on those who are rightly taking the threat of Covid seriously and can have massive implications on both the spread of the virus and subsequent strain on health services.”
The University of Sheffield are working closely with South Yorkshire Police to identify other students who attended.
In a statement released by the University, a spokesperson insisted that they are, “regularly stressing to students that it is their social responsibility to adhere to government guidance.
“We will continue to take action if we receive specific reports of anti-social behaviour, including reports of social distancing not being adhered to, as well as provide practical and emotional support to students who may be struggling at this time.”
Repeat offenders can be fined double for each subsequent breach, up to a maximum of £6,400.
DJ decks and a laptop were seized on the site to prevent anything being stolen, however no one has since come forward to claim the items.
Many online have voiced their frustration at the news, with some calling for the offenders to be kicked off their course and out of student halls.
Others even questioned why they are living in residential halls at all when the University has asked students to work from the residential address they had been staying over the Christmas break.
