A DARLINGTON woman has been charged with breaking Covid rules on gatherings during the tiered restrictions in place in England last March.

Magistrates sitting at Sunderland on Tuesday (February 1) heard that Sarah Appleton pleaded guilty to participating in a gathering of two or more people in a house on Chandos Street, Darlington, on March 19, 2021.

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The gathering took place when the borough was under tier 4 Covid restrictions which banned households from mixing, with only support bubbles and those meeting for childcare being exempt.

It is alleged that Appleton attended the gathering 'without reasonable excuse'. 

The 38-year-old, of Harry Street, Darlington, made a statutory declaration to magistrates on Tuesday and the case has been transferred to Peterlee Magistrates’ Court for a full hearing on the 24th of this month when she will be sentenced.

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