Family on 500-mile Lake District trip during coronavirus lockdown fined by police

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Police have declared the Lake District 'closed' to visitors amid the Covid-19 pandemic
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David Child14 April 2020

A family stopped by police over the Easter weekend have been fined after breaking the coronavirus lockdown for a 500-mile round-trip to the Lake District.

The family, from Greater London, were pulled over by officers from the Lancashire Police force on Monday afternoon.

The officers issued the driver with a fine and sent the family, who claimed the journey was acceptable if they wore masks and gloves, back home.

A Lancashire Road Police spokesperson tweeted: "A family from Middlesex stopped travelling to the Lake District for a day out.

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"They thought if they wore masks and gloves this would be acceptable #stayathome #protectthenhs #savelives.

"Turned around and sent home with paperwork to remember their non-essential journey."

Members of the public were meanwhile quick to criticise the family over the incident, with social media users criticising them as "absolute idiots" and "clowns".

"What planet are they on?" one user asked.

Cumbria Police last month declared the Lake District "closed" to visitors amid the pandemic, in a bid to deter visitors from breaking the lockdown to make "non-essential" journeys to the beauty spot.

Several other similar incidents were reported by police forces across the UK over the Easter weekend, which saw temperatures soar in many parts of the country.

Police issued more than 50 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to day-trippers in Brighton, East Sussex, who live outside of the county.

Officers clamped down on tourists defying Government coronavirus advice to stay at home between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, with more than 100 fines in total handed out across the county.

All of the penalties in Brighton on Easter Sunday were given to people visiting from other cities.

The force issued a further four fines to people travelling to Camber, on the East Sussex coastline, including a couple from St Albans, Hertfordshire, who made a 150-mile round trip for a stroll on the beach.

Officers also rapped a motorcyclist who rode to the beach from Bexley, south-east London.

Meanwhile police in Plymouth, Devon, on Monday issued fines to three members of the same family after they travelled from the capital for a “holiday” to see a cousin.

The family were followed by a police escort to the A38 after being given a “strong” talking to, the city’s D Section Response emergency unit said.

Officers patrolled routes using ANPR number plate recognition technology to track motorists from out of town.

Police in Pembrokeshire, on the Welsh coastline, also caught a motorist and passenger driving to the area from Birmingham to collect a motorbike.

“This is clearly not an essential journey. Fixed penalty notice issued and vehicle turned around,” the force said.

And officers warned that anyone else found not following essential travel guidance would be fined and ordered to turn back.

Another family from London meanwhile found themselves reeled in by Devon and Cornwall police after making a 200-mile overnight trip to Torquay for a fishing trip.

However, despite the bout of warm weather, popular bank holiday hotspots did remain largely deserted as the overwhelming majority of the public heeded the Government’s coronavirus advice to "stay at home".

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