Twelve members of a football team in South Tyneside fined for breaching coronavirus rules.

Officers have issued Covid fines to 12 members of a football team – after they visited a pub together stating they were all from the same household.

The team were out in South Tyneside on Sunday evening when a concerned staff member challenged them, only to be told by the men they were from the same household so they could drink together.

Unconvinced, they called police to report the breach and when officers attended the men were all subsequently issued with fines.

Chief Superintendent Janice Hutton, from Northumbria Police, said: “This group showed a flagrant disregard for the rules which are in place to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

“Actions like this undermine the efforts being made by the majority of others in order to protect themselves, their family, friends and wider communities.

“We will continue to work closely with our communities and offer advice to people who have mistakenly broken the restrictions.

“However, as we have made clear, where individuals are choosing to ignore the measures in place, we are committed to taking enforcement action to protect our communities.

“It’s important we all continue to play our part and follow the restrictions.”

For more information about Covid-19 and the latest restrictions, please visit your local authority’s website.