A HALLOWEEN party in a small South Ayrshire town which led to a Covid outbreak has put the whole area at risk of a level 4 lockdown.

The party in Tarbolton was attended by 17 people and has been highlighted as one of the reasons for the recent Covid spike in the area.

Police said they had been called to break up the event at around 2:15am on October 31.

Over the last seven days, 17 people have tested positive in the Annbank, Mossblown and Tarbolton neighbourhood. 

The leader of South Ayrshire Council said the gathering has allowed the virus to spread and pushed the number of cases up.  

Councillor Peter Henderson said: "It's not just the 17 people, it's all those they have been in contact with too. The track and trace system worked very well.

"But that incident put our figures up and, to be fair to the government, they can only look at that data and trends. We have gone up rather than level off."

READ MORE: Covid Scotland: Large parts of Scotland may be moved to Level 4 next week

It comes after the First Minister told MSPs earlier this week that South Ayrshire was one of the local authority areas "causing concern". 

Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday that the rising number of cases will be monitored. 

South Ayrshire is currently sitting at level three, with a level four lockdown meaning all hospitlaity venues and non-essential shops would be forced to close

Councillor Henderson has pleaded with residents across South Ayrshire to stick to the guidelines as he fears the impact on businesses. 

He added: “We’re trying to keep businesses going.

“The government talk to us every week as do Public Health Scotland.

“We don’t want to get to the stage of total lockdown, businesses are getting it hard enough.

“With the festive season coming up it is a worrying time but if we stick to the guidance we’ve got every chance."

NHS Ayrshire and Arran say they have noticed "sustained community transmission" of coronavirus throughout Ayrshire.

Dr Joy Tomlinson, joint director of public health said: "This is a continually evolving situation. However, the testing system is working well, which means we are identifying community cases and completing contact tracing quickly. This allows people to immediately self-isolate when required.

"We appreciate this is a very worrying time. However, we would like everyone in Ayrshire and Arran that every measure is being taken to protect those in the community.

READ MORE: Covid: Scots may be given vaccine before 2021, Nicola Sturgeon says

"We would like to remind people of the symptoms of coronavirus: new persistent cough; high temperature; and / or loss of taste and smell. Anyone who develops any of these symptoms should book a test and self-isolate immediately."

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We received a report of a gathering at a property on Cunningham Street, Tarbolton, around 2.15am on Saturday, October 31.

"Officers attended and 17 fixed penalty notices were issued and the group were dispersed that day. A 22-year-old woman was also arrested in connection with road traffic offences."

Councillor Henderson is also concerned with a spike in cases at a care home. 

We told how one resident has died at Claremont Care Home in Ayr with 15 testing positive. 

Sixteen staff have also been infected with Covid-19 with a further 10 members of staff self-isolating.