People in Norfolk followed advice to stay calm ahead of new laws coming in to limit the size of social gatherings.

In some parts of the country police had to break up parties as revellers made the final weekend before the “rule of six” coronavirus restriction comes into force on Monday.

But police in Norfolk said it had been very quiet on Saturday night with “no sign” of illegal gatherings.

In Greater Manchester, police said they closed down illegal gatherings at properties in Altrincham and Flixton on Saturday night, as well as a large gathering of around 70 people in Mottram.

Fixed penalty notices were issued at each of the incidents as current rules only allow groups of up to 30 to meet.

The interventions came just hours after officers attended a gathering at an address in Stockport which had 45 people in attendance, and another address in north Manchester which they had been called to on two previous occasions.

Earlier, Nottinghamshire Police issued a teenager with a £10,000 fine for hosting a house party in Lenton, which saw more than 50 guests gather at a home on Harlaxton Drive.

The force said if the 19-year-old man fails to pay or contests the fine he will appear before a court.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cooper, from Nottinghamshire Police, warned anyone thinking of hosting parties ahead of the changes on Monday - when social gatherings in England will be limited to groups of six people both indoors and outdoors - to think again or face the consequences.

He said: “We need to all remember we are very much still in the middle of a global pandemic and we all need to take responsibility for our actions.

“I want to send out a clear message to anyone who is thinking of deliberately hosting parties tonight or tomorrow night ahead of the rules changing to please not do this.

“We are not afraid to use the full powers we have and we will not tolerate those who are deliberately putting other people’s lives in danger.”

The public has been warned against having a “party weekend” ahead of rule changes on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph reported that up to 4.5 million people deemed to be at risk of serious illness from Covid-19 will be asked to stay at home again or given tailored advice on protecting themselves if cases rise to dangerous levels.

The newspaper said people identified using a new “risk model” based on factors such as underlying health conditions, age, sex and weight will receive letters containing specific advice.

The plan is initially due to operate in areas with severe levels of infection, but officials are prepared to roll it out nationwide if required, a source told the newspaper.

A DHSC spokeswoman said: “We keep all aspects of our response to the pandemic under review and in line with the advice of our scientific and medical experts.

“Shielding for the clinically extremely vulnerable has been paused since the start of August in most of the country while average rates of coronavirus remain low.

“Shielding is still advised in specific areas of the country where prevalence of the virus is higher.”

According to the paper, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is believed to be considering introducing a 10pm or 11pm curfew on restaurants, bars and pubs if local measures are unable to bring the spread of the virus under control.

The move stems from a concern that adherence to social distancing measures diminishes the more people consume alcohol.