Car parks to open again
CAR parks in Northumberland will start to reopen ready for the weekend as more people venture out for exercise away from home.
Three-quarters of the Northumberland council car parks will reopen to the public after being initially closed to discourage tourists during the strict coronavirus lockdown.
However, the Government announced that from May 13, people would be able to drive somewhere to exercise, as long as they kept a distance from people outside of their household.
Now the decision has been made to start allowing visitors to return to Northumberland, but day trippers are asked to stick to rules and be “sensible”.
Of the 53 car parks previously shut, 41 will be reopen by today.
While four country parks, Druridge Bay, Bolam Lake, Plessey Woods and Tyne Riverside, reopened earlier this month as lockdown restrictions began to ease, the council said more work needed to be done across car parks to ensure public safety.
A spokesperson for Northumberland County Council said: “We have considered factors such as the ability to socially distance both within the car park and the surrounding area, the impact on and the views of the local community and where vehicles might otherwise park and cause problems if the car park remained shut.”
Signs will be updated at the car parks reminding people that they must maintain social distancing measures at all times, that meeting in groups is not permitted and asking them to maintain good hand hygiene. People are still being urged to stay at home as much as possible and visitors cannot spend the night away from their homes.
Further work is being undertaken to ensure public toilets in some of the car parks meet safety and social distancing standards, so some may not open yet.
Car parks that charge to park will continue to do so. The council says it will keep the openings under review.