Appalling scenes as police raid illegal student party in Sheffield issuing £34,000 worth of fines to more than 150 partygoers

The students were found partying inside a flat in Ranmoor Student Village, with many trying to flee to avoid being caught by police. One officer was injured as people broke out of the fire exits and set off fire alarms in order to get away.

The party was reported to the police by security at the University of Sheffield just after 1.13am on Thursday,

Sheffield City Centre Inspector Ali Bywater said: "At a time when the vast majority are working so hard and making huge sacrifices to adhere to the rules, it is absolutely appalling to see people show such blatant disregard for not just their own safety, but the safety of others.

"The actions of all those present were incredibly selfish and the fact that so many went to great lengths to flee from officers is evidence that they knew what they were doing was wrong.

"At one point, there were 14 police officers on scene; that’s 14 officers who could have been dealing with other important matters across the county.”

Police teams across Sheffield have been working with both universities in recent months to prevent parties in student residences.

Inspector Bywater said: "We know both universities have been communicating regularly with students to inform them of the risks of holding events and the consequences involved.

“Parties like these are completely unfair on those who are rightly taking the threat of Covid seriously and can have massive implications on both the spread of the virus and subsequent strain on health services.”

The organiser of the party was fined £10,000, with 30 others given an £800 fine.

South Yorkshire Police is now working with the University of Sheffield in an effort to identify other attendees from the extensive body worn video footage captured by officers