The hotel manager who hosted a funeral party with 200 guests was fined £ 10,000 for breaching coronavirus rules.
Castle Bromwich Hall in Solihull has also been banned from holding events until January next year after the big gathering on September 25th.
The party was broken at around 9 pm after people complained about the loud music coming from the hotel.
West Midlands Police said it was their first maximum fine since the new rules on social gatherings were implemented last month.
The force said the manager had been previously warned of a Covid-19 law violation after a “ number of events ” had already been held there with no tracking and tracking measures in place, social distancing or table service.
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On Monday, the Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council suspended the personal license of the hotel owner pending review, and a full hearing is scheduled for later this month.
Solihull is one of four areas in the West Midlands that are undergoing enhanced lockdown measures to control the spread of the virus.
The government is warning people in England not to take the restrictions seriously, and has recently raised fines as part of a series of measures to avoid a second national lockdown.
Gatherings of six or more people were banned across England, although a limit of 30 funeral gatherings was allowed. Anyone violating the rule of six can be fined a minimum of £ 200, although fines for illegal parties can be as high as £ 10,000.
Assistant Chief Constable Claire Bell said: “ We live in difficult times and we understand that people want to celebrate the lives of their loved ones who have passed through, but we must all play our part in following the rules set in place to help stop the spread of the virus and to keep everyone safe.
We have reached out to all of those present at the funeral and explained why they needed to leave and they did duly.
It is the hotel manager who has been sanctioned for repeatedly organizing events that violate Covid-19 legislation; His actions blatantly ignored the measures needed to keep people safe in the event of a pandemic.
Businesses have a responsibility not only to their customers and employees but to the wider community and there must be consequences when Covid-19 guidelines are simply ignored.
The officer said the police would continue to patrol the streets to break the rules and warned, “We are taking a tougher stance on those who break the restrictions.”
She said ; “We understand that some regulations are confusing and we will explain where to find violations, but if people continue to mock these measures, we will not hesitate to take any action.”
The owners of Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel can appeal the Board’s decision through the Magistrate’s Court.
The hotel said the manager was no longer working at the venue and would not comment further.
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