Police hand out 120 fines in crackdown
MORE than 120 fines were handed out by Lancashire Constabulary last weekend as the force does its part in the battle against coronavirus.
Police have been given more powers to ensure people stay at home and avoid non-essential travel, as people are asked to stay indoors to stop the spread of COVID-19.
It means police can instruct people to go home, leave an area or disperse, ensure parents are taking necessary steps to stop their children breaking these rules, issue a fixed penalty notice of £60, which will be lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days and issue a fixed penalty notice of £120 for second time offenders, doubling on each further repeat offence.
Lancashire Police handed out 123 fines last weekend for those not complying. The force has issued a message to members of the public and has thanked those who are sticking to Government advice.
The message from Lancashire Police read: “Thank you to the vast majority of people across Lancashire who have been sticking to the government advice to stay at home and only travel when essential.
“We have been patrolling areas across the county and where we have seen people breaking the rules, we have issued fines. Over the weekend, we have issued 123 fixed penalty notices as a result.
“Our contact management department has received a number of COVID-19 related calls, with the majority related to concerns from members of the public about house parties taking place, public gatherings and if it is appropriate for a business to be open.
“We continue to urge everyone to #StayHomeSafeLives. We’ll still be out about and if we see you, we will be asking why you’re not at home. We’ll engage, explain and encourage but if we need to enforce, we will.
“Don’t risk a fine. Please follow the stay at home rules and only go out for one of the specified reasons. If you want to exercise - walk, jog or cycle from home.”
There are more than 300 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the county, and more than 1,650 people in England have died with the virus.