Misuse of second homes is at top of list of lockdown breaches
ASIGNIFICANT proportion of all the work carried out by Devon and Cornwall Police over the weekend related to breaches of the coronavirus lockdown.
On Saturday, the force dealt with over 250 breaches of Covid-19 laws, while within the first two hours of daylight yesterday there were 50 breaches recorded by police – which is almost a third of its workload for the day.
A Control Room Supervisor for the force said most of those breaches related to people in the two counties visiting their holiday homes – something not permitted under the rules of lockdown.
The national lockdown in place across England means people must stay at home to protect the NHS and prevent any further spread of Covid19. The regulations stipulate that there are very limited reasons you should leave your home. Visiting your holiday home is not a valid reason and those in breach of the law can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400.
In Plymouth yesterday, police officers arrested a driver for being drunk behind the wheel and child neglect, after police discovered the driver to be almost three times over the legal limit – with three children in the back of the car.
Plymouth police officers pulled over the vehicle that was seen to have minor tyre and light issues, only for the officers to discover the driver had three ‘unrestrained’ children in the back seat – meaning the children were not in appropriate child seats.
Meanwhile, police on Dartmoor have issued warning notices to the increasing number of people heading there to get some fresh air in lockdown. Large numbers of people are understood to be heading to the moor to take their daily exercise. However, with its tough terrain, narrow lanes and private roads, this can cause issues.
Okehampton Police took to Twitter on Saturday to emphasise how important it was for people to park in the right places.
“We’ve had reports of increased people on the moors,” they wrote. “Some clearly not understanding the sign they’ve driven past.
“Warning notices left on this occasion, but repeat offenders will be pursued. It’s not only an offence, but causing an obstruction in the event of an emergency.”
Inconsiderate parking can have a major impact on others. Less than two weeks ago, a doctor carrying a batch of coronavirus vaccines required a police escort to make it to a care home in Princetown due to ‘exceptionally poor parking’.
On the same day, a number of motorists became stuck in their vehicles after driving up to the moors in the snow, despite the poor weather conditions and repeated pleas from the police.