Police fine man for 250-mile lockdown trip to walk dogs in Norfolk
A Bristol man who travelled to Norwich to walk his dogs in Norfolk was issued a lockdown fine. - Credit: PA
A man who travelled from Bristol to Norwich because he liked walking his dogs in Norfolk is among those to be fined for breaching lockdown rules.
Norfolk Police said it had issued 55 fixed penalty notices between Friday and Sunday last weekend alone.
These included six people from different households found at a house party celebrating a birthday, as well six people from four different households who had gathered for a barbecue to celebrate a child’s birthday.
Norfolk Police said it had issued 55 fixed penalty notices between Friday and Sunday last weekend. - Credit: Joe Giddens
In the last few weeks, police forces across the country have issued more than 8,000 fixed penalty notices for breaches.
Weekly national figures show a rise in fines from mid-December as lockdown restrictions tightened across England, continuing as the third national lockdown came into force on January 5.
Four in five fixed penalty notices were given to people aged 18 to 39, the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) said.
Police give out fines to people in Wells for not following coronavirus lockdown rules. - Credit: Archant
People travelling long distances to visit Norfolk were among those to have been fined by local officers.
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As well as a dog walker from Bristol, a man from Cardiff was found to have travelled to Norwich to visit friends, as well as three people who had travelled from Coventry to visit friends.
It follows a couple being fined for making a 120-mile trip from Northamptonshire to see the seals at Horsey earlier this month.
Fines were also issued to people gathered outside a property, some of whom had travelled from Bury St Edmunds, and people from different households found sitting in a car together at Gorleston.
A higher number of fines than in previous lockdowns reflects a more robust approach to enforcing the rules, said assistant chief constable Julie Wvendth.
Norfolk Police's assistant chief constable for Norfolk Constabulary, Julie Wvendth - Credit: Norfolk Constabulary
“Since the announcement of a third lockdown we’ve been open about our approach becoming more robust,” she said.
“I am confident that our approaches have been and still remain at the right level. It is important our communities continue to have confidence in us.
“We police by consent in this country so it’s impotrtant we strike the right balance – we should be educating the public about the rules and the risks to their health but stepping in to enforce when people knowingly put others at risk.
“Put simply, the time for endless encouragement is over.”
