Coronavirus: Police issue 60 fines to North Yorkshire day-trippers

Police said the public are 'blatantly ignoring' lockdown rules by visiting the North Yorkshire countryside
Police said the public are 'blatantly ignoring' lockdown rules by visiting the North Yorkshire countryside

A police force issued over 60 fines last weekend to people making unnecessary journeys to the North Yorkshire countryside, some from as far as Kent.

Despite numerous warnings to day-trippers to avoid the county, police confirmed they fined dozens of people who were not following government Covid-19 guidance.

It comes as hundreds of farming businesses across the country report problems with public access during the virus outbreak.

Some farmers have highlighted their 'untold anxiety' over an increasing amount of people who are ignoring guidelines on exercise and permissible distances to travel to do so.

North Yorkshire, the largest rural authority in the UK, has seen some walkers 'blatantly ignoring' the coronavirus lockdown, according to police.

Thirty-one fines were issued on Saturday 25 April to people visiting from West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and as far away as Kent.

Seventeen fines were issued in Malham alone – with 13 being written in an hour, as day-trippers thronged to the North Yorkshire village.

A further 30 fines were issued on Sunday 26 April, with officers issuing six fines in Brotherton to people gathering to go off-road biking.

Other unnecessary journeys included a man travelling from Yarm to Wakefield to pick up paint and two men travelling to Bradford to view a car.

North Yorkshire Police's Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker said the force is simply trying to stop the spread of a deadly virus.

“We are definitely starting to see a turning of the tide in some areas, with some blatantly ignoring the reason why we have been in a lockdown situation for the past five weeks and making a decision to no longer stay home and save lives.

“The police have their role to play in protecting both the public of North Yorkshire from the spread of Covid-19 and our valuable health service and we remain fully committed to continuing this task."

Chief Constable Walker said the police 'needs the support' of the public as the virus 'is not yet beaten' and the threat of a second peak of infection is 'very real'.

"That’s why we must keep on going – to protect our love ones; our children, partners, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters.

“As I have previously mentioned, this is not about finding loopholes in the guidance to justify having a day out. This is about keeping your elderly, vulnerable grandmother safe, your asthmatic child safe or your diabetic father safe.

"So please think about why it’s important to you personally to stop the spread of this virus," he said.

Many farmers in the county have seen a rise in livestock worrying incidents as well as mounting concern over the spread of Covid-19 to vulnerable and remote rural communities.

The problem has led farming unions to produce posters for farmers which urges the public to take care and responsibility when accessing the countryside.