to think Derbyshire police need to read the LAW and understand that you can't fine people when they are not breaking it

[chomalungma]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-55560814

Surrounded by police, treated like a criminal for driving 5 miles to a beauty spot for a walk.

It is not illegal to drive to exercise.

@Sinful8 considering SIL told me about it and even BIL would brag about "the time those coppers told me my rights" I'd say I'll believe it thanks.

Like it or not it does happen. Or are you one of these apologists who think that abuse towards women is treated perfectly every time?

Then again this isn't the first time in the last few days @Sinful8 has denied violence happens

I still stand by my view that the restrictions should be amended so that exercise is not something at present you drive to. Until gyms and places such as swimming pools re-open.

It should be made very clear, and a distance stated or no driving allowed, other countries managed to state a distance so why can't we, ours is always so wish washy which it can't be if people are being fined

I suggest they become professional footballers then they can do whatever they want!

Why does driving in a car to a quiet area increase the risk of Covid? It doesn't. The law is more interested in stopping people meeting indoors which does increase the risk of Covid. The Covid laws aren't just designed to make people's lives as restrictive as possible for the sake of it.

One does wonder if some people grasp that some of us are at more risk of transmission by not driving somewhere? Some of us live in busy towns? Our pavements are busy... It's safer to drive somewhere.

Do they want to actually stop transmission or is their inner stasi simply coming out!

There is a photo on the news shows of the two of them, allegedly at the reservoir, a distance apart walking in immaculate outfits holding their Starbucks. Who took the photo and if they were genuinely just going for a walk round a reservoir why the effort into their make up and outfits? Wants to be an influencer

Even if this is their motivation, and the other photo of them on the BBC website where they are doing the 'me and my bestie sipping champagne living our best lives' pose does seem to back this up, they've done us all a service in showing up the heavy handed techniques of Derbyshire Police, something that podgy middle aged ponytailed me in my anorak and muddy hiking shoes might be less minded to do and there wouldn't have been the negative publicity that has prompted all the fines doled out to be reviewed and overturned where they have been unfairly issued.

@peak2021

I still stand by my view that the restrictions should be amended so that exercise is not something at present you drive to. Until gyms and places such as swimming pools re-open.

So the thousands of rural people who literally have no pathway outside their house or live in a village where there's a tiny footpath of space or their driveway goes onto a main road, just have to be cooped indoors?

Prior to Covid I considered the county I live in to be my local area (all of it). If I am now expected to think differently that needs clearly stating. If we are given wafty wooly advice then people will interpret it in entirely reasonable but very different ways. Anything within 30 mins drive is local to most people I think.

@peak2021

But that will mean some people can't exercise as it's too crowded where they live - or other reasons such as needing a flat walking ground for health reasons. I think that would need considering as that will also expose people to further covid risk due to deteriorating health.

@peak2021

I still stand by my view that the restrictions should be amended so that exercise is not something at present you drive to. Until gyms and places such as swimming pools re-open.

So people who live in areas without pavements aren’t allowed to leave their property to exercise? That would trap a large proportion of people, especially older people in rural areas who cannot risk walking on unsteady ground on poorly maintained roads.

@Lightsontbut it is probably simpler than distance (which is another alternative).

Simpler yes, but introduces significant risk so may not be in the spirit of lockdown really.

@peak2021 what is simpler than travelling - people forced to forever stay in their home?

As a PP pointed out people have lost sight of how COCID spreads. Getting in a car to go to an open space is such a tiny risk. Some people really are just in it to release their inner Stasi

Of course the law should not be amended to stipulate distance, form of transport or any such thing.

The solution is not to further restrict the perfectly safe outdoor movements that people should be free to make; the solution is for the police to be fully briefed as to their role, which is to serve the public, not to harass people for going about their perfectly legal business!

What worries me is that news this morning is that the police are going to actually increase this type of ad-hoc, sometimes retrospective, punishment of people without there being any distance specified. This is clearly coming down from the home office, but the home office won't man up and set an appropriate distance. Clearly 5 miles is deemed by the majority of people to be totally acceptable, so policing by consent is not being performed if people get in trouble for driving 5 miles. For it to be policing by consent the distance would have to be very much further (30 miles?). 5 miles or even 8 miles is most definitely in the spirit of the guidance in most people's opinions.

@peak2021

I still stand by my view that the restrictions should be amended so that exercise is not something at present you drive to. Until gyms and places such as swimming pools re-open.

I don't agree with this, because some people live in places without pavements or which are very hilly and it's not unreasonable for them to drive to safer, flatter places.

However, I think it would remove much uncertainty if the government actually set out a legal distance that you can be away from home for exercise eg 10k. You may not agree with whatever distance they choose but you'd know where you were.

They can't set an appropriate distance because there is no one size fits all answer.

This was demonstrated in the first lockdown when the London parks became very crowded. Most of the people there could well have been people who lived within walking distance as the population density near some will be very high.

But when you have lakes or other areas in more sparsely populated areas, everyone within 20 miles could visit and there wouldn't be a crowding issue.

It's basic risk assessment. You have to consider the number of people you come into close contact with by doing the activity and it could well work out more risky to visit the park on your doorstep than the lake 5/10/20 miles away.

However, I don't really know how it can be enforceable. Police can't ask for ID or proof of address because we don't have to carry them in this country. Unless the government added that to any new legislation - hmmm, I can just see how that would go down in the country at large, given the hysteria over (voluntary) ID cards when Labour tried to introduce them.

Gyms and swimming pools are irrelevant as obviously much higher risk. Indoors mostly and you have lots of people all touching the same equipment so would have to have good cleaning regimes to reduce risk.

They can't set an appropriate distance because there is no one size fits all answer

They have in lots of other countries. Not sure we're particularly exceptional. As I said you might not agree with the limit chosen (though I would err on the generous, eg 10 miles) but at least it would be clear.

I'm fed up of seeing their faces on every news feed I look at that's for sure. BBC even had a one of their 'nights out with a nice glass of fizz' SM photos as part of the article. I get they're photogenic but it's pathetic.

@annevonkleve

However, I don't really know how it can be enforceable. Police can't ask for ID or proof of address because we don't have to carry them in this country. Unless the government added that to any new legislation - hmmm, I can just see how that would go down in the country at large, given the hysteria over (voluntary) ID cards when Labour tried to introduce them.

ANPR - that is how they are doing it. Where you register your car.