Police shouldn’t penalise adventurous walkers

SIR – I support the Government’s measures to combat coronavirus. My wife and I stay at home, shop once a week and get exercise by walking our two dogs.

However, I was taken aback by Derbyshire Police’s decision to distribute a video of a couple walking their dog in the middle of nowhere, at no risk to anyone (report, March 27).

We live in a small town, but a short drive takes us into open countryside, where anyone we meet can be given a wide berth. The alternative is to walk around the streets of our town, unable to let the dogs off the lead, while meeting large numbers of people on narrow pavements.

The police need to exercise common sense if they are to receive public co-operation. By all means disperse gatherings, but don’t pick on people exercising in the open air at a distance from others – even if they have used a car to get there. Steve Black

Keyworth, Nottinghamshire

SIR – Seven years ago I was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, and for a period of four months, while undergoing chemotherapy, I had to self-isolate.

Although I live on the edge of the countryside with a flock of sheep as neighbours, I sometimes felt the need to lift my spirits by driving just a few miles to a local beauty spot, where I would sit in the car with my wife, drinking a flask of coffee, reading or just looking into the distance through a pair of binoculars. This did much to keep me sane during a dark period of my life from which I am now thankfully recovered.

While I support the measures being taken to contain Covid-19, it seems to me that, by persecuting those who wish to cheer themselves up by venturing into the deserted hills of Derbyshire, the police are denying them an opportunity to avoid depression (which could put an even greater strain on the NHS). It is also a questionable use of police resources. Officers should be focusing on serious crime rather than needlessly targeting innocent individuals. Ian Sharp

Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire