TORONTO -- City officials and police in Manchester, England used thermal imaging cameras to find and break up an illegal house party where some 200 people were in attendance.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said officers arrived at a home in Gorton, a city in northwest England, on the evening of Aug. 15.
A police helicopter armed with heat-sensitive cameras was able to capture the scope of the massive house party from above. The footage, which was released by police and corroborated by news verification agency Storyful, showed crowds of people gathered shoulder-to-shoulder in small spaces.
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Officers who responded to the call said they were “pelted with missiles” after trying to shut down the illegal gathering. In an official statement, GMP Inspector Jim Adams said the “incident was completely unacceptable and incomprehensible.”
Adams also said he was pleased that the court had accepted the order request police put forward with Manchester City Council to have the residence closed to anyone except the owner and tenants for three months.
Police also issued a fixed penalty notice to the party’s organizer.
Despite a recent easing of coronavirus-related restrictions across the U.K., many lockdown measures remain in Greater Manchester, including a ban on gatherings of more than 30 people. To date, the U.K. has recorded 323,008 COVID-19 cases and 41,483 deaths.
