Extra police patrols at lake to check for Covid rule-breakers
POLICE patrols will be stepped up at a popular Rochdale beauty spot to check visitors aren’t from outside the area.
Under the current lockdown the Government is instructing people in England to ‘stay local’ for outside exercise.
In a bid to enforce the rules officers will patrol Hollingworth Lake in Littleborough this weekend.
Extra signs will also be put up reminding people of the lockdown rules and encouraging customers not to congregate outside takeaways, while some picnic benches will also be taped off in a bid to ensure social distancing.
In his weekly coronavirus briefing to councillors Rochdale council chief executive Steve Rumbelow said: “Police are working with us this weekend at Hollingworth Lake, which continues to attract a high number of visitors.
“Extra patrols are being put in place to ensure people are not travelling in from outside the local area, although the law around this remains unclear and policing bodies are continuing to call for it to be clarified by the government.
Two mobile road matrix signs will be in place this weekend to increase the visibility of key government messages before visitors reach the lake.
“These will be in place for the next 100 days and can update the messaging accordingly. These will be placed in Wildhouse Lane and Hollingworth Road.”
Mr Rumbelow also revealed more than 8,500 older people in Rochdale, including around half of all care home residents, have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccination. He said he expects all care home residents and staff to have been the vaccinated by the end of January and was ‘confident’ that over the next week everyone over 80 will have been offered an appointment.
Mr Rumbelow also announced that a vaccination centre will be opening at Littleborough Leisure Centre on Calderbrook Road on Wednesday, January 20.