No excuses for breaching the lockdown

THE pathetic excuses given by people breaching lockdown rules over the Easter weekend have been revealed by police.

South Wales Police received 1,200 coronavirus-related calls on Saturday alone.

Among those given fixed penalty notices were a shoplifter who lied about having coronavirus to try and avoid being arrested, and four people who were stuck on a mountain.

It comes as nearly 300 fines were issued across Wales over the weekend for those flouting the rules.

In total, as first revealed in yesterday’s Echo, 123 penalties were given out by Dyfed-Powys Police, 80 by Gwent Police, 61 by South Wales Police and 26 by North Wales Police.

Those who were fined over the weekend included:

■ Four men from Cardiff who travelled to Langland Bay, Swansea, to go fishing. They admitted to officers they understood the restrictions but “wanted to get out after being stuck in all week”. All four were given fines and one 38-year-old was arrested on an outstanding arrest warrant and has been remanded in custody.

■ Two men and two women from Cardiff who travelled to Rhondda to climb a mountain, before getting lost and calling the police. All four were rescued before being given a fixed penalty.

■ A woman from Cardiff who was fined after her 13-year-old son repeatedly breached restrictions.

■ A shoplifter in Cardiff who falsely claimed to have tested positive for coronavirus to try and avoid being arrested. ■ A man who drove from Port Talbot to Mumbles to enjoy the coastline. When stopped, he told officers “it was a nice day”, before being told to go home. Despite the warning, he went on to drive to another beach car park, where he was arrested and given a fixed penalty.

Of those who received a £60 fine, 82% were given to men and 15% to women, with 3% unknown. A third of fines went to those aged between 18 and 24, with a further third going to those aged 25 and 34, the National Police Chiefs Council said.

But despite the warm weather over the week, Wales’ parks, beaches and popular tourist spots have remained largely deserted as the vast majority of people heeded government restrictions and stayed at home.

Assistant chief constable Andy Valentine said: “This remains an unprecedented national emergency in which we all have a part to play, and we are extremely grateful to those who took their responsibility seriously and continued to stay home at the weekend.

“The restrictions are crucial to protecting the NHS and saving lives and I would like to thank people across South Wales for following the Government’s advice and implore them to continuing to adhere the restrictions.

“Sadly, a small minority chose not to do so over the Easter period and in doing so selfishly put others at risk.

He issued a direct appeal to those who think the regulations don’t apply to them.

He added: “The restrictions exist to save lives – the lives of their families, loved ones and members of their communities.”