Priti Patel has tonight announced fresh £800 fines for ANYONE attending illegal house parties - rising up to £6,400 for repeat offenders.
The Home Secretary announced the tough crackdown on ravers holding banned parties during the national lockdown - as police chiefs blasted their selfish behaviour.
And she refused to rule out further, tougher measures, saying: "It's too early to even speak about other measures".
She also said it was too soon to think about when measures would be lifted - or even when Brits may be able to finally book a much-needed holiday.
Launching a fresh crackdown which ministers hope will drive down cases, the Home Secretary said tonight: "Next week we'll introduce a new £800 fine for those attending house parties, doubling for each repeat offence to a maximum of £6,400."
It will apply to any gatherings of more than 15 discovered by cops, and will kick in next week.
Brits will be fined £800 for their first offence, rising to £1,600 for their second, £3,200 for their third, up to a maximum of £6,400 if they are caught at four or more house parties.
She went on: "The science is clear - such irresponsible behaviour poses a significant threat to public health.
"Not just to those in attendance but also to police offices who shut them down."
Police chief Martin Hewitt said those people organising parties were "selfishly putting lies at risk" and police would no longer "waste time trying to reason with them".
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