Dozens of people have been fined nearly £30,000 after they were found crammed inside a pop-up shisha bar above a food shop.

The floor had been turned into an open plan lounge, with beer and soft drinks for sale, and Covid rulebreakers playing card games and watching football on TV.

All 36 people at the shisha bar in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, were each fined £800 under tough new rules for gatherings of more than 15 people.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Payne said it was the latest ‘blatant’ and ‘disheartening’ breach of lockdown laws in the West Midlands.

Officers dealt with 74 reported breaches of Covid rules on Saturday and another 61 on Friday.

They handed out 23 fines of £200 and 36 of £800 on Saturday while another 36 £200 fines were issued on Friday.

The force said nine people were fined £200 for playing pool in a salon in Winson Green.

Mr Payne added: ‘Sadly some people are still not getting the message that we are in a pandemic which has killed thousands of people, and continues to kill hundreds daily.

‘Our officers are working long hours in really difficult circumstances to keep people safe, and blatant breaches such as these are really disheartening to see.

‘Officers are having to go home to their families after breaking up large gatherings such as this, not knowing if they have contracted coronavirus while trying to protect others.

‘We know that most people are sticking to the rules and we’re genuinely grateful for that.’

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