‘Disparity’ on Covid policing across area
BURTON MAN COMPLAINS THAT SHOPPERS WITHOUT MASKS GO UNCHALLENGED WHILE WALKERS ARE FINED
A BURTON man says lockdown rules are being routinely broken in the town – and is calling on the authorities to sort it out.
The resident says there is a “great disparity” between Covid policing in Burton and across the border in South Derbyshire, where two women were fined £200 each for driving seven miles for a walk. The fines were, however, later overturned. But others have been issued with fines in Derbyshire.
He says he saw a whole family in Lidl, in Derby Street, without masks on, with the dad carrying his child’s dummy in his mouth.
The man, who did not wish to be named, has also highlighted the issue of having to dodge cyclists getting too close on the pavement.
He said: “There appears to be a great disparity in policing in the Midlands.
“On the one hand the news has been full of stories about the fining of two women walking at Foremark Reservoir and warnings that snowball fights are a breach of the law.
“At the same time, I went to Lidl in Burton [on Monday, January 11] and a whole family were there, unmasked carrying a toddler around – while dad had the child’s dummy in his mouth. I know that there are people with hidden disabilities, but I doubt that these were – and even if they were, four people to buy a small basket of food?
“Then you walk down the pavement having to dodge all the cyclists – and these are not kiddies with stabilisers, but adults, often in hi-vis jackets, ringing their bells to get you out of their way.
“I realise that I am talking across police areas, but as a citizen, I expect all police to adhere to a common policy and that policy to make sense.
“By all means clamp down on people partying in the street etc, but keep a sense of proportion – and don’t neglect basic policing.
“Laws should be applied evenly, or, if no longer deemed relevant, removed. Having laws that can be ignored brings all laws into contempt.”
A Lidl spokeswoman said: “At Lidl GB, our top priority remains the health and safety of our customers and colleagues. As such, we have continued to implement a range of social distancing and Covid-19 secure measures across all of our stores.
“This includes, positioning designated team members at entrances during peak times to manage the volume of people entering and encouraging them to wear a face covering.
“A raft of clear communication reminding customers of the importance of maintaining a two-metre distance from each other when shopping is also in place, including floor markings in stores to mark a safe distance, as well as regular audio announcements.
“Dedicated cleaning stations continue to be made available at store entrances for customers with hand sanitiser, disinfectant and wipes, to use on their trolleys and baskets.
“Whilst supermarkets cannot enforce the wearing of face coverings, the authorities have the power to issue either a fine or fixed penalty to those who do not comply and are not exempt.
“To help communicate the regulations we have signage in place across all of our stores and have issued updates on social media and our website.
“We also remain mindful of those who come under government exemptions, such as customers with hidden disabilities.
“For customers that do not have a face covering, we have them available to purchase in store.”
Deputy chief constable of Staffordshire Police Emma Barnett said: “Where people are determined to break these rules, which are in place to keep people safe, we will not hesitate to move to enforcement and issue a fine, targeting our resources towards those who commit the most serious breaches and put others at risk through their behaviour.
“Our experience so far is that the vast majority of people have taken personal responsibility for doing the right thing and I am confident that will continue so that we can bring the virus under control and start to think about a return to a more normal way of life.”