A father and son who travelled from London to stay at their second home on the North Norfolk coast are among the latest to be fined for breaching Covid regulations.
It has also emerged that at the weekend, a woman was fined for travelling to Norwich from Colchester to deliver a birthday present.
Police chiefs in the county have said they will be “more robust” in cracking down on breaches after the country moved into a third lockdown earlier this month.
In her latest update, Norfolk’s temporary assistant chief constable Julie Wvendth said the 13 fines on Thursday also included a woman who invited a friend round to her house for drinks, and a man who picked up his girlfriend from a friend’s house.
Other fines included a man in Great Yarmouth for not wearing a face covering in a shop, a man on the Market Place in the town who was seen to repeatedly stop and speak with different people, a man who had travelled from Wymondham to Norwich city centre for no reasonable excuse and a three people from different households involved in a crash during a non-essential journey.
They follow on from 31 fixed penalty notices – and 96 warnings – in Norfolk last weekend.
T/ACC Wvendth said officers would carry out Covid-19 patrols this weekend, with those having a “blatant disregard for the regulations” likely to be hit with fines.
Julie Wvendth, Norfolk police’s assistant chief constable, says she is proud of how the force adapted to the coronavirus lockdown. Picture: Norfolk Constabulary
– Credit: Archant
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She said: “When making any decision to leave the house, our first question should be; do I need to make this trip?
“For example, the more we travel, the chances of contact increases through the need to purchase fuel or the possibility of breaking down or being involved in a collision.
“While critics might suggest this is a far-fetched position and the chance unlikely, we must all consider the necessity of our journeys for the benefit of our public services.”
She added: “The more we avoid these situations, the more we can reduce the risk of transmission and support the collective effort.”
She said imposing a legal ruling on the distance you could travel would not be practical, but urged people to use their common sense.
“For me though, local means if you can walk or take exercise near to your house and without needing a car journey this is what you should be doing.
“I think we would all agree that it’s hard not having the freedoms we’re used to. But, however tempting a trip to the coast or woodland might be for a change of scene, we must stay local.”
She added: “In a week where death rates reached new records and hospitals are reaching their limits, working together to keep to the rules is more important than ever and I would encourage everyone to act like they’ve got the virus – stay home and save lives.”
— to www.edp24.co.uk
