AN ILLEGAL birthday party in Barry was among numerous gatherings broken up by police on the weekend.

South Wales Police dished out 138 fixed penalty notices to people who attended parties or gatherings, or ignored travel restrictions, while Wales is in Alert Level Four lockdown.

Four women celebrating a birthday party in Barry were fined, and 27 fines were issued due to four separate house gatherings in Barry and Cardiff.

Other people fined by South Wales Police for ignoring coronavirus restrictions over the weekend were:

  • Two men from the Vale of Glamorgan who travelled to Dubai for a holiday.
  • A man who travelled from the Vale to Port Talbot to buy a boat. He was caught after his vehicle had a puncture on his journey home.
  • Five young adults who were caught drinking in a car in a supermarket car park in Cardiff.
  • Five adults found in the kitchen of a house in Port Talbot by officers out on patrol.
  • Seven quad bike riders in Briton Ferry who were away from their homes without a reasonable excuse.
  • Ten people fined for two separate house parties and gatherings in Swansea.

A number of referrals were also made for follow-up action by the Joint Enforcement Teams, which are made up of police and council officers and operate in all local authority areas in south Wales.

Chief Superintendent Andy Valentine said: "The vast majority of people are continuing to do the right thing and are making sacrifices to protect themselves, their loved ones and the NHS. Unfortunately a minority are breaking the rules and are facing enforcement.

“Blatant breaches will not be tolerated and we will continue to respond to concerns from our communities, carry out proactive patrols and work closely with our local authority partners on the Joint Enforcement Teams to ensure the rules are being followed."

Under current Welsh Government restrictions households should not be mixing.

People should only be outside of their homes for 'essential' reasons, which include:

  • To obtain supplies and services (such as food, medicine, household maintenance) for you or your household.
  • To exercise locally, alone or with members of your household/support bubble.
  • To access childcare and education.
  • To access medical services or public services.
  • To provide or access emergency assistance.
  • To deposit and withdraw money from a bank or similar establishment.
  • To provide care/help for a vulnerable person (this includes getting them food or medicine).
  • To donate blood.
  • For work, voluntary, or charitable purposes but only when is is not 'reasonably practicable' to do so from home.
  • To pay your respects at a cemetery, burial ground, or garden of remembrance.
  • To attend a place of worship, or a wedding/civil partnership/funeral if invited.
  • To attend court or meet other legal obligations, or to vote.
  • To escape a risk of illness or injury, such as for victims or people at risk of domestic abuse.
  • To access services provided to victims of crime or domestic abuse or those at imminent risk of becoming victims