Revellers who left piles of rubbish after gathering in Cardiff Bay on Good Friday have been condemned for breaching coronavirus regulations.

Cardiff Council said a significant amount of rubbish had been left by “large groups of people intent on breaking Covid-19 restrictions”.

It follows similar scenes outside the Senedd earlier in the week, when three police officers suffered minor injuries when bottles were thrown.

Covid-19 rules in Wales only allow six people from two different households to meet outdoors.

A Cardiff Council spokesman said: “Once again our teams have been faced with the huge task of cleaning up a significant amount of rubbish left behind by large groups of people intent on breaking Covid-19 restrictions.

“Last night, bins were left unused and the ground was littered with rubbish. Council staff have been on site since the early hours of the morning, working hard to clear and clean the area.

“Despite the preventative measures put in place by the council, in partnership with South Wales Police, the Welsh Government’s coronavirus regulations were again broken by a significant number of people illegally gathering in Cardiff Bay.

“The rules are clear, six people, from two households are allowed to meet outdoors, maintaining two-metre social distancing.

“Breaking these rules significantly increases the chances of Covid-19 cases rising in the city. We urge everyone to follow the advice, maintain social distance, and to keep Cardiff safe.”

First minister Mark Drakeford said: “The pandemic hasn’t gone away. We need to keep coronavirus rates low so we can keep relaxing restrictions.

“We’ve come so far since the winter when rates were incredibly high - no one wants to see those sacrifices wasted.

“Stay focused and we can all enjoy the better times ahead.”

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Earlier this week Mr Drakeford said he was “shocked” by the amounts of litter and rubbish left outside the Senedd.

“I’ve seen the photographs and I’ve seen the accounts on television, and to be honest that is shocking,” he told BBC Radio Wales.

“I’ve been a strong supporter of the police’s approach in Wales of inform, educate and persuade, and that is absolutely the right thing to do first.

“Where people deliberately and intentionally set out to do things that can cause a risk to other people, then both local authority and police have powers that they can use.”

Mr Drakeford said he was concerned the progress Wales was making in controlling the spread of coronavirus could be undone by people ignoring the rules.

“I am concerned because when you see those scenes then it does tell us that there is a small minority of people in Wales who still somehow believe that coronavirus doesn’t mean them,” he added.