York pub The Grey Horse at Elvington fined for Covid-19 breach after people caught drinking alcohol on Remembrance Sunday

North Yorkshire Police received reports of people consuming alcohol from wine and beer glasses at a gathering in the beer garden of The Grey Horse pub in Elvington at around 2pm on Sunday.

Just hours earlier a low-key Remembrance Sunday wreath laying had taken place in the village where the parish council had encouraged residents to participate in the Royal British Legion's doorstep two minute silence to discourage physical gatherings due to Covid-19.

Officers attended where they found groups from different households not socially distanced or wearing face masks or coverings to mitigate the risk of infection from Coronavirus.

Those attending left the premises without any further action.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "Due to the circumstances of the incident, a person in control of the premises was issued with a Penalty Notice for Covid-19 for breaching the regulations.

"An investigation into the matter is ongoing by North Yorkshire Police’s licensing department and City of York Council’s Public Protection services. The police and council are working with the premises’ license holders.

"The license has not been revoked. A revocation of a premises licence or personal licence would be determined by the licensing sub-committee if any review proceedings were brought before them.

"As stated continuously throughout the multi-agency response to the pandemic, the use of enforcement is always the last resort."

Licensees Nigel Cookson and Jo Cashon released as statement in which they claimed the alcohol in question was supplied by themselves as a gesture of a goodwill rather than their business.

"Remembrance Sunday is always a significant day in the lives of the people of Elvington. It is commemorated by hundreds of people, both at the village memorial adjacent to our pub The Grey Horse, and the Free French Memorial closer to Elvington airfield, which was home to bomber squadrons in World War Two.

"The usual commemoration was understandably cancelled this year, but a lot of villagers went in their small family groups, or individually, to pay their respects while some laid wreaths. Cubs, Scouts and Guides stood in uniform on their doorsteps to mark the two-minute silence at 11am. One young man played the Last Post on his bugle. It was very moving.

"We felt it would be both appropriate and respectful to make our own gesture, so we put out some drinks on tables outside the pub. People going to or returning from the memorials were welcome to stop on the pavement and raise a glass to the fallen.

"Quite a few people did, all socially distanced, exchanging greetings with friends and neighbours before moving on. We never dreamt this might be against either the letter or the spirit of the law - these were drinks we provided, not the pub. Some people took their drinks to the smoking shelter at the rear of the building when three vans of police turned up.

"They have decided to make an example of us which, with respect, seems to be completely out of proportion to any unintended offence we might have committed.

"It has been heartening to see the response of the people of Elvington who have taken us to their heart during this unprecedented and difficult time. The entire village has adhered to the lockdown rules, and we’ve worked so hard along with our staff to ensure we complied too, and kept everyone safe, we have had no positive cases of Covid linked to the pub whilst we have been here.

"As huge a blow as this is to both of us, it’s such a shame that the great relationship we’d built so quickly with the people of Elvington is being broken and we thank the 350 plus people who have signed a petition in support of us."

Meanwhile, five fixed penalty notices for Covid-19 regulation breaches have been issued across Hull and East Yorkshire in the last 24 hours.

A Driffield man, who had been warned for two previous breaches, was spotted by officers in a larger group and fined for repeatedly failing to follow the guidelines, while a person in Beverley was also given a fine following reports of a party at an address in Hotham Square.

Three boys were also found to be in breach of the regulations around gatherings in north Hull.

Humberside Police Assistant Chief Constable Chris Noble said: “Over the course of the last 24 hours, it was disappointing to see that a number of individuals chose to recklessly ignore the restrictions set out to protect our communities from this deadly virus.

“Whilst our approach to policing the restrictions remains to engage, explain and encourage people to do the right thing, when our teams are in situations where individuals have repeatedly shown disregard for the restrictions in place, have failed to comply with engagement, or have tried to evade officers, we will use enforcement.

“Reports are now showing Hull as having the highest infection rate in England, with our other local authority areas also showing high and increasing rates.

“The restrictions in place are there to protect our NHS and save lives. It’s why we will continue to encourage people to follow the rules, but not waste time with those that continually choose to break them.

“As can be seen by the incidents in north Hull, I would again ask parents to make sure they know what their children are doing and who they are with. As they are under-18, their actions can lead to you receiving fines, which we know is not what any parent wants.

“I know it is an incredibly difficult time for all so I wish to thank everyone that has been following the regulations and helping to keep each other safe. I also wish to thank those that have listened to words of advice given by our officers and have changed their behaviour to play their part.”