Parents fined for their children's Covid breaches after youths gathered in Hebburn town centre - before throwing eggs at passing cars

A warning has been issued to the ‘teenage troublemakers’ that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated following ‘pockets of disorder’ on Thursday night (October 29).

Officers, who were called to disperse crowds and carry out Covid enforcement, have issued five fines to parents for breaching Covid-19 regulations.

The North East remains in the high alert Tier 2 and means it is illegal for groups of more than six to gather outdoors. Those who breach Covid regulations face a £200 fine for the first offence - doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400.

Northumbria Police have increased patrols which will continue into the weekend and a 48-hour dispersal notice has also been put in place, starting today at 4pm (Friday, October 30).

The notice gives officers the power to remove anyone from the area if they are causing anti-social behaviour and anyone who returns within the dispersal period will then be arrested as refusal to comply is a criminal offence.

Neighbourhood Sergeant Peter Mcready, of Northumbria Police, said: “We were made aware of pockets of disorder last night and an investigation is ongoing into the incidents.

“We have already identified a number of individuals believed to have been involved and have spoken to some of them, as well as their parents and have issued fines for breaches to the Covid regulations.

“Over the next few days, we will be making contact with other young people who we suspect were involved in causing anti-social behaviour and increased patrols will be carried out to reassure our communities that we take this type of incident seriously and to reinforce the importance of following the Government guidelines in place to keep us all safe at this time.

“The message is simple – we do not tolerate anti-social behaviour, and we are working hand-in-hand with our partners to ensure anybody who brings misery to our communities is dealt with appropriately.

“Anyone who does get involved in disorder and ignores dispersal orders could face criminal action and the prospect of spending time in police custody.”

Anybody with concerns about anti-social behaviour should call 101.

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