Police reveal drivers’ dodgy excuses for ignoring lockdown

SINCE the coronavirus lockdown has been put in place, police in Wales have publicised some of the excuses they have heard while out and about.

The Government guidelines say people should only leave the house for infrequent shopping for essentials; one form of exercise a day; for a medical need or to care for the vulnerable; or work – but only if it cannot be done from home.

Despite most people listening, some are still ignoring the rules with motorists travelling hundreds of miles across the UK.

One driver told police they were picking up rice from a friend 90 miles away.

Here are some of the rubbish excuses that have been given to police in the past week...

■ Pembrokeshire Roads Policing Unit tweeted: “The driver and passenger of this vehicle have travelled from the Birmingham area to collect a motorbike.

“This is clearly not an essential journey. Fixed penalty notices issued and vehicle turned around.”

■ A driver who didn’t have any valid car insurance was stopped by police after travelling from South Wales to Leeds and back to visit their uncle.

South Wales Police tweeted the following message on April 12: “A journey from S.Wales to Leeds to see your Uncle & then back again is NOT an essential journey! On this occasion it was a non essential journey without any valid insurance. Vehicle seized & driver reported for relevant offences.” ■ A driver and passenger were stopped on a 600-mile round trip from Scotland to Wales to collect a “bargain” second-hand BMW car.

The pair were fined for a non-essential journey from Scotland to west Wales.

The Newtown Roads Policing Unit said when officers stopped the vehicle they had been told by the driver that the car was a “bargain”.

■ On Easter Sunday, North Wales Police also fined a driver who had travelled hundreds of miles.

The force stopped a rental car that had driven from London to a Welsh seaside resort and handed them a £60 fine from police.

They tweeted: “The driver stated they had come from London and wanted to visit Tywyn. Driver issued with a fine and sent back to London.” ■ One teenager was arrested after breaking coronavirus lockdown rules six times.

The 18-year-old man, from the Llwynhendy area of Llanelli, had been “causing a public nuisance” before being arrested on Saturday, police said.

He is the first person to be arrested for such an offence in the DyfedPowys Police force area.

The man had previously been served with five fixed penalty notices for breaching coronavirus related regulations but continued to “drive around with total disregard for the law and for the health and wellbeing of the communities”.

Police confirmed on Sunday that he remained in custody.

■ Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police were carrying out patrols during the early hours of Saturday when they stopped multiple vehicles.

One car was stopped on the A477 with the driver claiming he was travelling to Ireland “to collect a dog”.

After being reported and turned around by officers he told him he knew he was “chancing his luck”.

■ Police also stopped a vehicle that had travelled from Cardiff to Llanteg at about 1am on Saturday.

Those inside the car claimed they were making the 90-mile journey “to collect rice from a friend”.

■ Nine hopeful crabbers were among 1,300 vehicles pulled over by Dyfed Powys Police in the past week.

All nine, who were travelling in three separate cars, were stopped on the A477 at Llanteg late on Thursday evening. After being handed fines for breaching lockdown rules, they were told by officers that going crab fishing on Tenby beach “isn’t essential travel”.

The nine people, who were “not in convoy” and were stopped 15 minutes apart, had travelled from Aberdare, Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare.

■ Two men from the West Midlands were fined after travelling 125 miles to North Wales to windsurf.

North Wales Police said the men had travelled to Black Rock Sands in Porthmadog, breaching the coronavirus lockdown rules that says people can only travel for essential reasons.

■ A driver who was stopped for travelling in excess of 90mph in a 50mph zone told police they were “just out for a drive”- not an essential journey.

■ On April 12, Pembrokeshire Roads Policing Unit of Dyfed-Powys Police spoke to a driver who said that they were driving because they were “bored”.

The force tweeted: “It’s just before 2am when, due to an issue with its numberplate, we stop a local vehicle in the Carew area.

“When asked about the purpose of their journey the occupants state they were ‘bored,’ so thought they’d go to get petrol. Both are reported and turned around.”