Just got reported to police for breaching lockdown. WIBU?!

[saylor]

For context: I have 2 toddler DC (tiny age gap!), we live in a flat and we have thus far abided by all lockdown rules, and it's been fucking hard!

This morning, at 9am (!!!!), I took DC to the park across the road and let them play in a sandpit which forms part of an un-gated playground. All the play equipment is roped off with police and hazard tape and we didn't go on the equipment, just played in the sand with buckets and spades. First time in 9 weeks and no one else was there.

After literally only being there for 5 minutes a police van pulls up and tells me I'm breaching lockdown rules, took my details, and gave me a warning. She stopped short of fining me. I apologised and started packing up the buckets and spades and older toddler had an absolute meltdown that we had to leave. The police woman took pity on me and said she was sorry she had to move us on but because someone reported me, it was her job.

So someone saw a mother and her two young children playing in the sand and decided to call the police at 9am and tell me off. This is after a bank holiday weekend of huge groups of people socialising all over the park and no one told off.

I'm livid. AIBU? Or WIBU to take my DC to the sandpit after 9 weeks of lockdown hell?

I suspect no one reported you - she just said that to justify her actions

The police choose to attend what will take them the least time, be the easiest and have the least amount of paperwork. You were doing no harm and i am sure it upset yr kids 😕 I sympathise being in a flat, we are very lucky to have a garden and we haven't left it for the whole time apart from dodging other ppl to get to the letterbox. We did visit a quiet beach yesterday bt got nowhere near anyone despite other kids playing together I wdnt allow my daughter to. Try going somewhere remote with them if u can.

Don't think you were being in the least unreasonable.
Not enough thought has been given as to how parents with young children in flats are going to cope.
On a council estate near us there have been two, successive, massive parties - 50+ people in the height of the lock-down.
None were fined just given a warning.
You could write to your local councilors and MP to complain about lack of consideration for children living in flats, especially as they are not likely to suffer badly from C19, so are being kept in lock-down to benefit others.

Who on earth would report a woman with 2 small children going to the sand park?

You breached the rules. Suck it up.

You broke the rules.

I'm livid at people continually justifying why they broke the rules, why the rules shouldn't apply to them, why it iwnt do any harm and so on

If we all do what the fk we please, this thing will be never ending.

It's not just about 'me me me' - it's a global pandemic and some people are more vimberabke and at higher risk than others. Stop breaking the rules. And stop being livid because you know you broke the rules, you knew when you did it.

There are people eating pizzas in large groups and having bday parties in parks with no social distancing in place!!!!! How can u all be telling this poor mum she broke any rules! She didn’t at all!!!!

Yawn, life is much harder for you than everyone else... Nope!

Everything roped off in the playground, a bit hard to rope off the sand!

Duh!

Whenever I see dickheads commenting like the ones on this thread, it makes me want to go out and kiss 20 random strangers, and I say that as someone with an underlying health condition.

Roxy, go on then. I am not stopping you.

It was my understanding that direct sunlight acts as a natural virucide. UV radiation damages their DNA or RNA. They survive for a finite time on surfaces and this is greatly reduced with direct sunlight and heat.

You broke the rules but I would not have reported you. To police, us women are an easy target, they do nothing about all the thugs outside my house in an area where lock down never began

You're very unlikely to catch or transmit the virus via sand, it's smooth surfaces like the handles on seesaws or roundabouts that are slightly risky, and even then it's a small chance. Technically yes, you were breaking the rules, but whoever reported you was being mean spirited, especially if no police came to break up gatherings in the park over the weekend. Can they just run around on the grass next time?

How it that any different from being allowed to go the the beach?

I don’t live in the UK but we have the same rules here with the play equipment all cordoned off. I’ve been letting my kid play in the sand every day. We bring our own toys and we stay well away from other people. I honestly don’t think there is anything wrong with doing this but I have met some who disagree. I think they are just blindly following the rules and forgetting about common sense.

And sending love I have a 3 and 5 year old and if o didn’t have the garden for them to play in I would have gone nuts by now!

I thought you were allowed to go to parks now as long as you stayed 2 meters apart???? What?? We went to local playpark 2 das ago and just sat on the grass and had a picnic but didnt use any equipment. I would have objected to being told to move on. We have a lot of playstuff in our garden and all my children wanted was to see somewhere new whilst having food. Its been hard on people who live in flats. I think that was overkill. She could have reminded you of the 2meter rule and moved on herself! So sorry for you. You seem like a great mum and I hope you can find some imaginative ways to cope with all this.

You most certainly did not break the lockdown and I think you are a total hero to have stuck with it for so long. There is no way on this planet that I would have put my kids through the full 9 weeks of lockdown and justify it. Kids need freedom to grow and explore and they are our future

I think the problem is not the fact some people break the rule. It's about the fact there are no understanding and sympathy/empathy to each other. Someone called the police, yes it's petty. But you don't know the background story. But people are calling them sad/twats/ whatever they want.

Did they didn't want you rouse the sand why wasn't the playground locked off like down here .Hasnt anybody got anything better to do than be a curtain twitcher .Icant imagine how hard it is for children to be cooped up in a flat all day Good luck

Whoever reported you should be ashamed of themselves,UK is becoming a rather nasty place with people reporting and spying on people.It disgusts me,are all these busy bodies perfect themselves and can they say they have followed every rule to a t.

Theres a kids playground near mine,its been locked but the gate is very low and can easily be climbed over.A few times ive seen adult males climbing over it to exercise on the equipment.I certainly didnt report them,i really cant be so petty.This lockdown in my opinion was way over top anyway and some of rules were just plain daft. Swedens was way less and they have no more cases proportionally than us.

I can’t actually see what you did wrong, if there was nobody there you were social distancing, probably good for your mental health too. There is an influencer on Instagram called Mrs Hinch, she was in the newspaper a few weeks ago because she actually had a family BBQ (still video’s herself clapping for NHS, so she is not only a Covidiot but a hypocrite too) it was reported by the newspaper, in the paper version and online. She never mentioned on her stories As obviously hoping it will be kept quiet, (she should have owned up really) and no reports of a warning either...looks like it one rule for one and one rule for another !

I would just take heart from the fact you can feel very, very sorry for the git who reported you, as they must have really sad lonely lives. What a waste of police time too!

Complete waste of police time. People are getting mugged and emotionally abused yet no one batters an eyelid but ooh child in a sandpit during lockdown that’s big news