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.

@chomalungma

Looks like Boris has broken his own rules...but not the law

No he hasn't.

He hasn't broken either.

Hes gone for a perfectly reasonable distance of cycling. It certainly isn't taking the piss.

He's done it alone. Not when and where there have been concerns about people being trapped by the weather. There's no sugar filled coffee purchase involved which makes your exercising a waste of fucking time.

I think his Home Secretary and Health Secretary would disagree.

I'm not saying it's not a total fucking shitshow, but cycling 7 miles from your house isn't against the law. That goes for Boris Johnson as well.

I can't believe this conversation is even taking place

I think the issue the person on Twitter is that he took an entourage cycling with him. So more than meeting one other person. Which I think is a bit churlish because surely they;'re working rather than exercising.

@HesterShaw1

I think his Home Secretary and Health Secretary would disagree.

I'm not saying it's not a total fucking shitshow, but cycling 7 miles from your house isn't against the law. That goes for Boris Johnson as well.

I can't believe this conversation is even taking place

Sorry - meant the rules.

Law rules, rules law, guidelines this, guidelines that....no wonder people don't have a flaming clue what's allowed and what's not.

And people out for walks and cycle rides are not what is driving these massive infection rates.

There's no sugar filled coffee purchase involved which makes your exercising a waste of fucking time.

Lol, are you Priti Patel? You should try a walk with a hot drink and/or a friend sometime, it's within the rules and you might even enjoy it

Oh, and the offending drink was a peppermint tea btw, not sure if with sugar or not.

@alienspiderbee

And don't get me started on all the people who suddenly see exercise as their daily right when they didn't give a monkeys about it before

I think you're forgetting that there are a huge number of people who would have been walking as part of their daily activity, e.g. to the bus stop, to their office, to go out for a sandwich at lunchtime who are now not getting that activity at all. Is it a surprise that they might want to go for a walk even if they hadn't previously?

I used to average 10,000 steps when I worked in an office, pre lockdown. Now i'd only do about 2000 unless I make a special effort

I'm in that situation. I'm making myself get up and go for walks on lunchbreaks in order to remain active. I don't like walking alone in the dark, so take a slightly longer lunchbreak and go walking and shopping (if I need anything) in daylight, finishing work a bit later to compensate, easy enough to do while wfh.

If we’re being petty about Boris (which is a bandwagon I’m happy to jump on), I’d point out that the guidelines say you should not leave your local area in the course of your exercise, and also state that local may be defined as your town, village or part of city. Boris lives in Westminster, definitely a different part of London to Stratford. There are other open areas closer to him.

Obviously he’s not broken the law, so he shouldn’t get a fine, but if he’s so worried about people keeping to the guidelines then it would be somewhat sensible to do so himself.

I'm normally not on Johnson's side. But what I really care about is was he more likely to spread the virus? And the answer is no. I am far more annoyed by him not distancing properly from that MP a few weeks back and having to isolste. That was irresponsible.

Apparently Derbyshire Police have apologised and rescinded the Fixed Penalty Notices.

@DynamoKev

Apparently Derbyshire Police have apologised and rescinded the Fixed Penalty Notices.

They were always going to end up doing this. Like they did last time.

Such a waste of police time - when learning from mistakes of the past would have been better.

so take a slightly longer lunchbreak and go walking and shopping (if I need anything) in daylight, finishing work a bit later to compensate, easy enough to do while wfh.

Not everyone has that flexibility, even whilst working from home. My OH covers phone lines and there has to be cover so he only gets half an hour for lunch

Yes they’ve behaved ridiculously and this isn’t the first time.

There are definitely no grounds to fine them. You can drive to exercise and you should be able to as not everyone lived near somewhere suitable to exercise and to avoid crowds. There’s no reason why you can’t carry a drink.

I think the govt should be encouraging people to exercise- as many have said, obesity, general lack of fitness and lack of vitamin D are all factors that can lead to Coronavirus complications.

It's very hard to get on a bike and not go anywhere. You can cycle 14 miles in an hour and there is no logic in going round and round in a 2 mile circuit rather than doing a 14 mile circuit