More than 160 fines issued to Covid rule breakers in York
Video report by Gregg Easteal
North Yorkshire Police says it is processing over 160 fines as a result of people breaking Covid rules in York at the weekend.
The force says the majority of the fines have been handed to Tier 3 residents, who visited the city against the advice issued by the government.
Local police teams, City of York Council, Covid support marshals and enforcement officers have been checking licensed premises to ensure people were "acting responsibly and being safe by sticking to the regulations around indoor gatherings and the rule of six outdoors".
Officers said that while they were patrolling they encountered large numbers of visitors from Tier 3 areas, who had "chosen to ignore the warnings and put local residents at risk by flouting the regulations".
Superintendent Mike Walker, who is leading the North Yorkshire Police response to Covid-19 said: "Looking at the numbers of fines handed out this weekend which are still awaiting processing, we believe that we have handed out over 160 tickets, with the vast majority being issued to tier 3 residents who visited York to mix and socialise indoors, which is in clear breach of their restrictions.
"Throughout the pandemic, we have been very clear about our approach and the action taken this weekend is evidence of it.
"We have stated our teams would be patrolling, speaking to the public and encouraging them to adhere to the rules.
"Where we encounter people who refuse to adhere to the regulations and believe their pint is more important than someone's life, we will use our enforcement powers.
"We will continue to patrol the city and the wider county and we will be visiting licensed premises and busy shopping areas. People very clearly know and understand the risks, they know that this virus is deadly, they will know about the identification of a new strain and know the serious steps the Government has taken in the South East, so there really is no excuse for acting so irresponsibly.
"If you choose to visit the city of York from tier 3 areas without a justifiable reason to have made your journey - with our extra patrols, chances are you will encounter one of our officers and you'll be asked about the reason for your visit. It is our responsibility to ask those questions, to determine the truth and take the necessary action, in order to stop the spread and ultimately save lives.
"We remain undeterred from our objective to keep the people of North Yorkshire safe."
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