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Original poster

Driving 3 miles to beach and fined £200

402 replies

nancybotwinbloom · 27/01/2021 20:01

A friend of a friend drove three miles to her nearest beach and took her newborn for a walk in the pram.

She was surrounded by police and fined £200.

This was today.

I think it must of been scary to be surrounded by police with the pram and the newborn. Surely only one of them needed to speak to her. Not mob handed. Or are they all unreasonable?

Is it unreasonable to drive three miles for a walk? I'm at a point now I can't work out what's local and what's not. I don't think she was in the wrong in all honesty.

Or is it that she drove there that it's not local enough.

I walk nearly three miles to the park with the dog and walk through the park and walk back most days and I don't think I am unreasonable?

What is local classed as these days?

OP posts:
TheTeenageYears · 27/01/2021 23:25

There can't be a blanket rule on not driving to exercise- some houses open directly onto a road without a footpath so those people would have to be allowed to drive to go for a walk - how far is a different issue.

FinallyFluid · 27/01/2021 23:27

And the band played believe it if you will. Hmm

FinallyFluid · 27/01/2021 23:28

@nancybotwinbloom

If it comes up in the echo I will screen shot it.

For those who say it didn't happen, like I say, I wasn't there, my best mate told me today this happened to the lady she works with. I can only say what she told me her work mate told her.

I occasionally go the same beach early in the morning with the dog when it's dead. It was more of a warning to me.

I thought I'd post on here to let people know that's all.

And just for levity, why are you walking a dead dog ?? Grin
LizFlowers · 27/01/2021 23:30

@ImsorryWilson

“I shouldn't of posted it in hindsight, I just felt like a gab about it on here.”

I am totally stealing this for my Threads Go Wrong situations.

It is hilarious!

I do wonder what a gab feels like too.

LizFlowers · 27/01/2021 23:31

"What is local classed as these days?"

You mean, "What is classed as local these days?".

MercyBooth · 27/01/2021 23:31

Someone gets fined for driving three miles for a walk on the beach yet E.on dont get fined for cutting off peoples gas and electric during a pandemic due to a security breach.

Im done!!!!!!

Itsnotlikethiswithotherpeople · 27/01/2021 23:32

She needs to challenge it. The police are wrong if the facts you’ve given are correct. It’s a shame the police are undermining themselves by not understanding the law.

Brunt0n · 27/01/2021 23:42

This didn’t happen

Lalliella · 28/01/2021 00:19

It was a local walk for local people. There’s nothing for you here.

melononapear · 28/01/2021 01:25

@TheTeenageYears was going to say exactly that! There is a walking route of sorts just over a mile from where I live but unfortunately that mile in between is along a major A road that has no streetlights, no pavements and a fair few corners. It would be suicidal to walk on the road to get there!

Just out of curiosity, I live 8ish miles from the nearest supermarket, there's about 3 different towns all roughly the same distance away to choose from. If I was to go for a walk in one of those places before/after doing a weekly shop is that within the guidelines? Since I'm in that anyway, I would be making an essential journey and doing exercise at the same time?

JiminyLeeCricket · 28/01/2021 01:40

If the law were really that clear, why do the police and the public keep cocking it up?

Clarity is more than quoting long passages of statute.

Everyone needs clear, unequivocal, snappy instructions that are transparently lawful and enforceable.

Arobase · 28/01/2021 03:45

@LadyDique

People exaggerate when they're caught out.

I'd say 3 miles was probably 5 or 6 miles and/or passing a number of suitable places to exercise just to get to the coast.

So my best guess is she probably was bu and doesn't like being pulled up on it.

The problem with that is that there is precisely nothing in the law that says you can only exercise in the nearest "suitable place to exercise". So she wasn't caught out at all. Assuming she's going to challenge this, it will certainly be set aside.
EmmanuelleMakro · 28/01/2021 04:03

must know the the police have a terrible reputation for being bully boys
This
A middle ranking police inspector I know at our sports club had totally ignored lockdown rules regarding use of he premises/showers etc because ... who would arrest him?

Chunkymenrock · 28/01/2021 04:08

I of had enough of idiots.

Mummyoflittledragon · 28/01/2021 04:33

@peak2021

The government should have said that exercise starts and ends at your front door, no driving for exercise at all. Simple to understand, no inconsistency.

And those who break it should have to appear in court, and face justice, and the opportunity to provide mitigating evidence or argue for leniency. The police should not be judge and jury.

I haven’t read the whole thread yet. But I had to comment on this post. No they shouldn’t have. I am disabled. This law would literally make my life impossible. I have dogs to walk and am also recovering from major surgery. I absolutely cannot walk 10 mins to the local park. And I’m not buying a mobility scooter to do this. Why should I? I need to walk to improve my mobility even if it is only a short distance.
MusicalTrifleMonkey · 28/01/2021 04:35

@ScrumptiousBears

Part of me thinks this is just bollocks.

The other part thinks we are told to stay at home. If you want to walk, walk round the block. Getting in a car and travelling for a "walk" isn't what we are meant to be doing is it?

As a mum who is struggling with a poorly baby, lonely and exhausted, I am sick to death of walking around the fucking block every damn day. I live near the beach and I haven’t driven there but I would love to for my own sanity. I’m getting very depressed. I wouldn’t begrudge this mum a 3 mile drive to get some fresh air and a change of scenery, it’s so so tough right now.
ShastaBeast · 28/01/2021 06:07

I can imagine this. In the first lock down we sat to rest after an hour of exercise. A police van/minibus drove through the park and about eight officers exited to clear the park. We also know it has happened to other women. I imagine the police will put in the resources if they are incentivised by the income from fines or internal targets. Do we know where the fine income will go? And totally agree that policemen (and women probably have too) can be thugs. My husband’s “friend” is one such specimen.

I visited Formby beach this summer and there was no restrictions on visiting so I don’t know what the “piss taking” was, as mentioned by a PP. The government were encouraging us to go on holiday and eat out etc. There wasn’t a walkway on the bit we visited - the NT car park section. Gorgeous beach.

The national trust are open for local visitors but don’t define what this means. Many are in the middle of nowhere so who’s going to visit? Barely worth the cost of them opening if only within 5 miles.

Chiccie · 28/01/2021 06:24

She needs to challenge it then because 3 miles is local. Boris Johnson cycles further than that

LovingBob · 28/01/2021 06:35

@EmmanuelleMakro

must know the the police have a terrible reputation for being bully boys This A middle ranking police inspector I know at our sports club had totally ignored lockdown rules regarding use of he premises/showers etc because ... who would arrest him?
I would report him, 31 Met police officers got £200 fines for having their haircut by a barber, also some other police officers got fined for eating in a cafe so they aren't exempt from fines
CriticalWoman · 28/01/2021 07:21

The police would be better employed stopping non-exempt maskless people entering into shops, where I assume the risk of transmission is much higher.

Sirzy · 28/01/2021 07:26

Just the idea that someone could push a pram along formby beach suggests to me there may be some poetic licence being used here!

Ch3rish · 28/01/2021 07:32

@EmmanuelleMakro

must know the the police have a terrible reputation for being bully boys This A middle ranking police inspector I know at our sports club had totally ignored lockdown rules regarding use of he premises/showers etc because ... who would arrest him?
Have you reported this @EmmanuelleMakro? There have been two instances of multiple police being fined in the past couple of weeks.

At least for covid they are not above the law

Sparklingbrook · 28/01/2021 07:34

@Chiccie

She needs to challenge it then because 3 miles is local. Boris Johnson cycles further than that
3 miles on a bike for exercise wouldn't take long.
Jenala · 28/01/2021 07:35

It's not against the law. The guidance says to stay local. The law does not. If this is true, I wouldn't pay the fine in her position.

Sparklingbrook · 28/01/2021 07:37

I do hope the local paper picks this thread up and we get the whole story.

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