Gone fishing: Man fined for 128 mile journey to get fish and chips

A man who drove from Mildenhall in west Suffolk to Scratby on the Norfolk coast to get some fish and chips has been fined.

Norfolk Police said the 128 mile round trip breached lockdown rules on only making necessary journeys.

The man is one of over 60 people fined by the force since Friday, 15 January.

Others included three men who initially told officers their journey from London to Norwich was a trip to hospital, but in fact they were visiting a friend.

A group of men who had been drinking together and were then involved in a disturbance on a street in Norwich were also handed fines.

Rule-breakers can be handed penalties of £200 for their first offence, with repeated rebels liable for fines of up to £6,400.

Norfolk Police said they would not hesitate to punish people who "blatantly breach the rules".

Assistant Chief Constable Julie Wvendth added: "The overwhelming majority of people take their personal responsibility seriously in following lockdown rules. 

"However, we continue to see a minority who, despite being aware of the rules, choose to ignore them.  

"Officers will of course use their discretion and take account of individual circumstances but we must all remember these rules are in place to protect us all and only work effectively if we all follow them."

Officers have been patrolling countryside beauty spots that might attract visitors, as well as town and city centres.

A total of 82 warnings have been handed out since Friday.

Curry house fined for not shutting during lockdown

An Indian Restaurant in Bungay in Suffolk has been handed a £1,000 fine for also breaching restrictions.

Officers from Suffolk Police found people eating food and sitting at the bar at Spice of Balti on St Mary's Street.

The owner Shams Uddin has now been fined, and police said his actions could have led to Covid-19 being spread in the community.

Inspector Claire Simons, from Suffolk Police, said: "The venue in question was operating in such a way as to cause the risk of the spread of a deadly disease to their customers and potentially others in the wider community."