A woman has been fined £10,000 after holding a street party for 50 people.

On Tuesday, police received reports of a gathering in Ivinson Road in Darwen, where around 40-50 adults and children were said to be in attendance.

Officers arrived and a woman, who was believed to be the party organiser, was issued with a £10,000 fixed penalty notice.

On Monday, strict regulations came into force making it illegal for people to gather indoors or outdoors in groups of more than six people.

Police are now urging people to follow the rules or risk contributing to the likelihood of further restrictions.

A spokesperson for the police said: "We continue to be really busy across the county with high demand as well as numerous reports of breaches of Covid-19 regulations.

"On Tuesday we received a report of a street party in Darwen where around 40-50 adults and children were gathered.

"We attended and a woman, understood to be the party organiser, was issued with a £10,000 fixed penalty notice.

"We remain in the middle of a pandemic and the rules are there to stop the spread of the virus and to keep everybody safe.

"We know how hard it is for everyone - we want things to go back to normal just as much as everybody, but the rules are there for a reason.

"By not following them you could be contributing to the likelihood of further restrictions.

"Our approach has always been and will continue to be, to engage with people to explain the rules, and we don’t take enforcement action lightly, however we will issue fines for non-compliance where necessary."

On Sunday September 6, officers in the borough were forced to act while visiting an address in Darwen.

Teams were called to Naples Road in the town following reports of a large gathering, and were met by over 50 people inside a home.

At the time, a police spokesman said: “During a busy weekend across the county, we’ve attended a number of reports of Covid regulation breaches at businesses and residential addresses.

“In response to one of these reports, in the early hours of this morning (Sunday, September 6th), we attended a house on Naples Road in Darwen.

"When we arrived, we found a significant house party with around 50 people present and DJ equipment.

“As a result, we have taken enforcement action and issued a £10,000 fixed penalty notice to the organiser.

Anybody who isn’t sure what the rules are can visit orlo.uk/wdiV7 for more information.