AN illegal party attended by over 50 young people in Blackburn on Saturday night was broken up by police with the person in charge of the premises hit by a £10,000 fine.

According to police, the event took place at the Cellar Bar on King Street in the town centre on October 17.

Alongside the person in charge's hefty fine, a further five party goers were also hit with a £500 fine each after police arrived and called a halt to proceedings.

Lancashire Police deputy chief constable Terry Woods said: "Our thanks to most businesses, adapting to tier three regulations.

"Sadly some are letting Lancashire down already, last night the organiser of an illegal gathering event at Cellar Bar Blackburn was issued with a significant fine and several attendees were also issued fines.

"Completely unacceptable behaviour."

READ MORE: Tier 3 lockdown: Your questions answered

This comes after the whole of Lancashire was placed under tier three coronavirus regulations on Friday meaning that residents can only see family and friends in any indoor setting if they are part of their household or support bubble.

A police spokesperson said: "These people were all in their late teens and early 20s.

"It is perhaps no coincidence that in the latest figures released by Blackburn with Darwen Council the age group with the most new cases is the 16-29 years group."

They added: "It is this kind of reckless and, frankly selfish, behaviour that is doing nothing to help reduce the spread of the virus through our communities.

"We must all play our part, and the sooner we do, the sooner we can get back to enjoying our normal lives again."

The party goers' actions have also been condemned by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.

Executive member for growth and development Councillor Phil Riley said: “This is utterly reckless and dangerous behaviour from both the organiser and the people attending this party. 

"The person who organised this has been given a very large fine which I am sure will make them think twice about doing something similar again.

He added: “I know that many people are getting fed up of the ongoing restrictions but they are there for a reason. 

"Gatherings like this, whether they involve alcohol or not, massively increase the chances of catching and spreading the virus, meaning our numbers will continue to rise and we will be under these restrictions for much longer than we could be. 

"Parties like this are, in the long term, will make it much harder for everybody in the borough to get back to their normal lives.”