The penalties you’ll face for breaking new restriction rules In Scotland

The penalties you’ll face for breaking new restriction rules In Scotland

The Scottish Government announced that as of Friday 25th September, households in Scotland will be banned from visiting each other (excluding exceptions such as people living alone or caring for a vulnerable person) and hospitality venues will now face a 10pm curfew.

Nicola Sturgeon stated that the new restrictions would “carefully target the key areas of transmission”.

A document was published by the Scottish government outlined the penalties rule-breakers will face:

If you are caught in groups of six or more people from more than two households, or you attend a party/large gathering, or fail to wear a face covering (excluding medical exceptions), Police Scotland can take the following actions:

  • They can instruct you to leave an area or dispense
  • They can instruct you to take steps to stop your children breaking rules if they have already done so
  • They can take you home or arrest you if you do not follow their instructions.
  • Over 18s can also can also be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £60 (£30 if paid within 28 days).

Procedure dictates that police must first ask the gathering to dispense and should only enter the property if the gathering refuses to do so. At this point over 18s can be fined for refusing to follow instructions.

If you have already received a fine, the amount will increase to £120, doubling each time for repeat offenders. The maximum fine is set at £960.

Businesses also face similar consequences for breaking rules. They can be issued with prohibition notices as well as fixed penalties.

Both individuals and companies refusing to pay penalties can be taken too court and face a fine of up to £10,000.

Best practice – don’t break the rules!