Disappointment as Covid fines rocket in the space of a week

The chief inspector of North Yorkshire Police has spoken of her disappointment as the number of fines issued across Scarborough for illegal indoor gatherings shot up.

Chief Inspector Charlotte Bloxham said that 34 fixed penalty notices were issued in the last seven days, more than four times the week previous.

Of these 27 were issued in the Scarborough borough.

Chief Inspector Bloxham told a meeting of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum yesterday that people must stick to the rules after the increase in rule breaking.

She said: “This is disappointing considering last week we had cause to issue just seven notices.

“The majority of these latest fines were issued for indoor gatherings in the Scarborough area with three issued in York and four issued in Harrogate.

“We understand that people are desperate to see family and friends but we ask that just like the vast majority of the people across North Yorkshire that you please adhere to the regulations that prevent indoor gatherings until the roadmap out of lockdown has succeeded and we are free to meet up once again.”

It was also confirmed that there had been “no significant issues” recorded at any of the county’s licensed premises since pubs and restaurants were able to ropen with outdoor seating earlier this month.