Mountain rescuer has tyre on parked vehicle deflated as thought to be breaking lockdown rules

Credit: PA Images

A mountain rescuer in north Wales said one of their vehicle's tyres was deflated because someone thought they were breaking lockdown rules.

The member of Llanberis Mountain Rescue was parked in a village in Snowdonia and was using the area, which is local to them, to exercise. When they returned to their parked vehicle, they found it had a flat tyre.

Llanberis Mountain Rescue said that while they "sympathise" with those who are frustrated by rule-breakers, their team member was acting within the guidelines and deflating someone's tyre is "clearly" illegal.

The incident has been reported to North Wales Police Rural Crime Team.

Popular walking and beauty spots like Snowdonia National Park are closed to visitors across Wales unless they are within five miles of your home. Credit: PA Images

In a post online, Llanberis Mountain Rescue said due to current coronavirus restrictions, their team "have had to get a little creative when it comes to training and fitness."

The team member whose vehicle was affected had travelled within their local area, which happened to be Snowdonia, to exercise.

The vehicle was not an official mountain rescue van but did have a mountain rescue member sticker on the windshield.

The north Wales mountain rescue team said that current policy is for their members to travel to incidents "in their own vehicles, so on occasion there will be unfamiliar vehicles parking in and around villages in Snowdonia."

The incident was reported to North Wales Police who are “taking an active interest in this type of incident" and have received similar reports in recent weeks, according to Llanberis Mountain Rescue.

Llanberis Mountain Rescue help those in need on Wales' tallest peak, Snowdon, and the surrounding mountains. Credit: PA Images

People in Wales are allowed to exercise outside as often as they would like to, so long as they stay in their local area. Popular outdoors beauty spots like Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons are shut to those who do not live locally.

Police in the Brecon Beacons turned away more than 1,000 cars over the last weekend in May. Tourists from as far away as London and the Midlands attempted to visit the beauty spot, with some claiming they did not know the rules differed in England.