Officers issued 14 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for breach of COVID-19 legislation at a car meet at a business park in North West London.

On Friday, 8 January police were alerted by members of the public to the gathering at Whitby Avenue, NW10. On arrival officers found 14 people along with nine high powered vehicles.

Upon engaging with the individuals, officers found that there was no clear reason for their meeting – a deliberate breach of Tier 4 COVID-19 regulations.

North West BCU commander Chief Superintendent Louis Smith, said: “The individuals that officers engaged with were, by their own admission, aware of the coronavirus rules, and intentionally broke them.

“As many as one in 20 Londoners in some parts of the capital have the virus. Social meetings such as these are facilitating the spread and putting the most vulnerable in our community at risk.

“The Mayor’s major incident announcement, which happened within the same 24 hours as this car meet, highlights the extreme pressure that emergency services are under at the moment. If you choose to break coronavirus legislation, then you are choosing to increase that pressure. Please stay at home, stay safe, and protect our NHS.”