A man has been charged with breaching Covid-19 regulations after police broke up an illegal party on a house boat attended by nearly 30 people.

Jordy Nicholas Van Duijvenbode, 31, of no fixed address, was charged on Sunday with one count of holding a gathering of more than 30 people and one count of participating in a gathering of two or more people.

He has been released on bail to appear before Thames Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, March 2.

Metropolitan Police officers were called to several reports of a large number of people playing loud music on a boat on the River Lea between Tottenham Lock and Hackney, north-east London, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Officers located the party boat off Hackney Marshes at 4.20am and found around 30 people on board.

Police said 26 people were reported for the consideration of fixed penalty notices of £800 for breaking the rules designed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Under lockdown rules in England, people are only allowed to leave home if they have a “reasonable excuse” to do so, such as shopping for essentials or permitted childcare.

Leaving home for recreational or leisure purposes, such as for a picnic or a social meeting, is not allowed.