100 people gather for funeral balloon release at Black Country park despite coronavirus rules
More than 100 people gathered at a popular park in Sandwell to release balloons as part of a funeral - despite Covid-19 rules.
The group of around 110 people gathered at Swan Pool at Sandwell Valley Country Park, in West Bromwich, on Saturday, officers said.
Around 30 people are believed to have attended a funeral at Sandwell Cemetery before they met around 80 others outside.
The group headed off towards Swan Pool and the meeting lasted a "short while" – despite officers' efforts – before it dispersed.
Force incident manager Steve Radford, from West Midlands Police, said: "Officers attended and every effort was made to disperse this gathering in line with Covid regulations.
"The gathering continued for a short while before it dispersed.
"We understand that this is deeply distressing time for bereaved families and friends but there are restrictions on the number of people permitted to attend funerals to protect everyone from the spread of Covid-19."
