Manchester United legend Paul Scholes is visited by police after he flouted lockdown rules and threw illegal house party for his son’s birthday at his £3.5m Oldham mansion in Covid-hit area
- Police visited house of Paul Scholes after hosted a house party for son’s birthday
- Footballer threw a party for his son Arron’s 21st birthday at his Oldham home
- His daughter Alicia posted snaps of the partygoers on her Instagram account
- This is despite a new lockdown rules being introduced at midnight on Thursday
- People across the North West were banned from gathering in other’s homes
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes was visited by police after he hosted an illegal house party for his son’s 21st birthday, despite further lockdown rules being imposed in Oldham.
Greater Manchester Police attended the football coach’s £3.5million property after he went ahead with celebrations for his son Arron’s 21st last Friday despite a new lockdown being imposed at midnight on Thursday.
Under the new lockdown rules, which came in force after Oldham saw a 240 per cent surge in cases at the end of last month, residents are not allowed to invite social visitors beyond those in their support bubble into their homes.
The party at Scholes’s Oldham home was said to have started at 7pm and gone on until 2.30am, The Sun reported.
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes was visited by police after he threw a party for his son birthday at his £3.5million home in Oldham
The football coach hosted the party for his son Arron’s (left) 21st birthday after a new lockdown was imposed on the area. Pictures of the lavish party were later shared by sister Alicia Scholes (right)
A police spokesperson told The Sun: ‘Officers attended and engaged with an individual, explaining the restrictions and encouraging them to be compliant.’
MailOnline has contacted Greater Manchester Police for comment.
The birthday bash came just hours after the new lockdown rules were introduced at midnight on Thursday.
People across the North West have been banned from gathering in other people’s homes or gardens, including Oldham which has introduced tighter lockdown restrictions.
However photographs, posted on his daughter Alicia Scholes’s Instagram, showed attendees disregarding social distancing as they danced and posed for pictures.
One Instagram user commented under Alicia’s posts: ‘How is Arron having a party at your house when Oldham is in lockdown between 2 households?’
Following the scenes, Tory MP Andrew Bridgen accused the ex-England midfielder of ‘reckless behaviour’.
He said: ‘You’d expect a much more responsible attitude from a role model who has worn an England shirt 66 times.
‘The people of Oldham are fully aware reckless behaviour like this has caused the return to lockdown.
‘While young people are less likely to suffer serious complications if they are infected, they may spread it to somebody for whom the consequences could be very severe.’
Others, who live near Scholes, 45, also accused him of ‘ignoring all the rules’, adding that the party was ‘madness’.
Alicia Scholes (pictured) shared images of the lavish bash which went ahead despite new coronavirus lockdown regulations being imposed across the North West on the same day
Paul Scholes posted a throwback picture on his Instagram, wishing his son Arron a happy 21st birthday
Alicia Scholes shared photographs of the partygoers, who were ignoring social distancing rules while dancing at the birthday bash
One person claimed that the family were initially going to have a ‘big party at a hotel’, but cancelled it after the new advice was announced.
The local told The Sun: ‘It’s madness. They have ignored all the rules because they wanted to go ahead with it.
‘What about all the people who haven’t been able to go to funerals or get married in front of their friends because of the lockdown?
‘Loads of people have had to cancel their birthday parties — why is Paul Scholes’ son different?
‘Paul has a reputation as a down to earth, normal guy. He’s loved by millions of United fans and should be setting an example.’
The local also said that Scholes should ‘hang his head in shame’ at his ‘selfish behaviour, as the partygoers could now go on to ‘potentially infect’ others.
Oldham introduced tighter coronavirus restrictions following a 240 per cent surge in cases.
Official NHS statistics show 119 people were diagnosed with Covid-19 in the Greater Manchester town in the week up to July 25, equating to a rate of 50.5 cases per 100,000 people.
Council bosses have urged all of the borough’s 235,000 residents to not let any visitors into their home for at least two weeks.
The party at Scholes’s £3.5million Oldham home was said to have started at 7pm and gone on until 2.30am, according to a local
Alicia Scholes posted glamorous photographs of the birthday bash at the family’s Oldham home on her Instagram, causing outrage from other social media users
They are keen ‘to prevent a strict local lockdown being put in place’ like that seen in Leicester, which has yet to be freed from the restrictions.
Everyone living in the Greater Manchester borough has also been asked to keep two metres apart from friends and family when seeing them outside.
Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey urged people to follow the new coronavirus regulations.
He said: ‘We understand the frustration of not being able to continue social lives, or visit friends and family, however the risk of coronavirus is still present and attending events in large groups is in breach of Covid legislation.
‘The only way to stay safe and protect your family and loved ones is by following the guidelines.’
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said: ‘Anyone can get coronavirus and anyone can spread it.
‘That is why it is so important everyone observes the new restrictions. This includes not seeing friends and family in each other’s homes and gardens.’
The local council said a significant proportion of recent cases involve multiple individuals testing positive within a household.
Photos of those who attended Arron’s 21st birthday party were also shared by Lauren Scholes Beard on Instagram
Partygoers were pictured collecting food from a van, called ‘The Grill’, during Arron’s 21st birthday celebrations
One partygoer posted photos from Arron’s 21st birthday party on her Instagram story
Guests at the Oldham party posted photos together on their Instagram stories
Arooj Shah, deputy leader of Oldham Council, said: ‘We’re urging residents to take the risk of coronavirus seriously and to stick to the guidelines.
‘We know people across Oldham desperately want to see their friends and family, and get back to normal.
‘But these restrictions are essential if we are to stop the spread of coronavirus and prevent a strict local lockdown being put in place, as we have seen elsewhere in the country.’
Hosting a party at your home is illegal, according to government rules, meaning that those attending could be fined £100 and police can shut the gathering down.
Katrina Stephens, director of public health for Oldham, urged anyone with symptoms of the coronavirus – namely a fever, persistent cough or loss of taste and smell – to get a test.
She added: ‘If we all do our bit and stick to the restrictions now, we can help stop the spread of coronavirus, and protect ourselves and our loved ones.’
Source: Read Full Article