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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:
Imapotato · 28/01/2021 11:42

Aren’t you meant to stay in your own village, town or part of a city? Or have I got that wrong?

So to my mind 3 miles across town, but still same town, fine. 3 miles to next town, even if it has a beach and yours doesn’t, not fine.

Elai1978 · 28/01/2021 12:02

Aren’t you meant to stay in your own village, town or part of a city? Or have I got that wrong?

No, in England at least

Ineedsleepzz · 28/01/2021 12:11

That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. What a waste of police time! Sending loads of them as well. How stupid.

naturalnursery · 28/01/2021 12:26

For all those saying, but nearest shop, work etc is more than X miles, surely there's a difference?

Shopping, work, medical appointments, these are all essential. Going for a walk, run etc is not.

I can empathise with her, must be horrid to be a new mum ATM but it's also very hard for the police and those trying to keep us safe. We are less than 5 miles from the beach (close enough for me to run to in pre covid days) and it's totally rammed in sunny afternoons. It's really not safe and the line had to be drawn somewhere.

Elai1978 · 28/01/2021 12:28

It's really not safe and the line had to be drawn somewhere.

There’s no line to be drawn anywhere!

Sunflowergirl1 · 28/01/2021 12:37

The Health Protection Regulations are clear. There is no law that stops you driving anywhere for exercise. They stipulate that you should stay locally but it is not defined in law....dictionary says "restricted to a certain area" so in the end it would have be subject to magistrates view but in reality it would be hard to convict someone unless they have driven hundreds of miles.

I can't contradict what the OP has said she has heard, but if it is true, then the officers have acted unlawfully and potentially oppressively which is disappointing. Unfortunately the guidance that some forces gave their officers has been somewhat misinformed

Ifailed · 28/01/2021 13:37

Exercising
You should minimise time spent outside your home, but you can leave your home to exercise. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

All the shoulds are guidance and not specified in Law. The actual Law states you can leave your home for exercise - no limit on how often, for how long, or where you do it.

BonnieDundee · 28/01/2021 14:09

From the government website

You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. You may leave the home to:

shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home

To me that reads like you have to work from home if you can do so but maybe not?

ItsGoingTibiaK · 28/01/2021 14:11

@Sunflowergirl1

The Health Protection Regulations are clear. There is no law that stops you driving anywhere for exercise. They stipulate that you should stay locally but it is not defined in law....dictionary says "restricted to a certain area" so in the end it would have be subject to magistrates view but in reality it would be hard to convict someone unless they have driven hundreds of miles.

I can't contradict what the OP has said she has heard, but if it is true, then the officers have acted unlawfully and potentially oppressively which is disappointing. Unfortunately the guidance that some forces gave their officers has been somewhat misinformed

To be accurate, the Health Protection Regulations don’t even stipulate that exercise has to be local.
InTheDrunkTank · 28/01/2021 14:12

I wonder if this is actually true. If it is she can easily have the fine overturned and get a full apology.

trevthecat · 28/01/2021 14:17

It's always a Friend of a friend

Blondeshavemorefun · 28/01/2021 14:47

If true , technically she didn’t need to drive 3m to then put baby in buggy and go for a walk

Different walking 3m from house

Chiccie · 28/01/2021 14:49

@Imapotato yes you’re wrong. Local is subjective. A distance isn’t set in law. It’s to stop people driving across the country. It’s common sense. Common sense dictates that 3 miles is local. 30 miles isn’t. In all these cases you have to ask “what would a jury of my peers rule in this case”

CaptainMyCaptain · 28/01/2021 14:50

@CoffeeRunner

I can’t get past anyone thinking a beach is a good place to walk with a pram!
A lot of beaches have a promenade which is a very good place to walk with a pram. You don't have to walk on the actual sand.
DishingOutDone · 28/01/2021 14:52

@Elai1978

It's really not safe and the line had to be drawn somewhere.

There’s no line to be drawn anywhere!

If any lines are being drawn it should be in sand, surely?
Elai1978 · 28/01/2021 14:54

Chiccie it has nothing to do with common sense. It would be for the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you weren’t travelling for exercise. In all likelihood it would never make it as far as court because there is no restriction whatsoever on the distance you can travel to exercise and any police office attempting to issue such a fine for travelling to exercise is acting unlawfully.

canigooutyet · 28/01/2021 14:54

Something like this I would expect to be all over SM..

Imapotato · 28/01/2021 14:55

[quote Chiccie]@Imapotato yes you’re wrong. Local is subjective. A distance isn’t set in law. It’s to stop people driving across the country. It’s common sense. Common sense dictates that 3 miles is local. 30 miles isn’t. In all these cases you have to ask “what would a jury of my peers rule in this case”[/quote]
Ah ok, happy to be told I’m wrong. I was just going by this on the gov website (pic attached)

Driving 3 miles to beach and fined £200
LouJ85 · 28/01/2021 14:59

@HitchFlix

Well where I live we're explicitly told to stay within 5km of our home so it's pretty clear? Aren't the rules similar where you are? So if she's outside the allocated distance then The police were just doing their job?

5k is 3.1 miles. Therefore she was within by 0.1 miles. Smile

Tiktokersmiracle · 28/01/2021 15:00

@Cherrysherbet

I have no sympathy. We are in National lockdown. 100k people have died. You are allowed to go out to exercise within your local area.......you shouldn’t drive to do this.

The rules are simple. Don’t follow them, and you will be fined.

So what's next then? She went 3 miles. I go further than that to my local supermarket Shall the police by your working out start fining people who just "look a bit dodgy" just in case? Or stick people in a cell because they "might" commit a crime?

She didn't break a guideline. She went 3 miles.
Give your head a wobble

MrsPaddyGrant · 28/01/2021 15:05

I'm with you OP - I've no idea what is classed as local. Ive been going for walks from my house and was supposed to meet up with a friend at weekend for a walk - she lives 5 miles away so one (or both) of us would need to drive a few miles to meet.
That still feels like its local - but who knows now - and I'm in the North West as well.

Elai1978 · 28/01/2021 15:07

I've no idea what is classed as local.

Doesn’t matter, the concept of local is irrelevant.

Chiccie · 28/01/2021 15:09

@Imapotato yes exactly. You should always try and stay in your local area. It says nothing about only walking and not driving. It doesn’t stipulate that if you live in a village that counts as local area. I live in a small village on the very edge of a big town that is more than 3 miles from end to end. My postcode is the same and all parks etc are within the town. There’s no doubt that counts as my local area. The guidance is just that. Guidance. It states clearly that a beach is an acceptable place to exercise. By their very nature, beaches are places that people have to travel to get to. It’s therefore reasonable to say that somebody who lives 3 miles from a beach is perfectly entitled to exercise there within the remit of the guidance and I would argue that a court of law would find it so. Common sense.

Chiccie · 28/01/2021 15:11

@MrsPaddyGrant that is local and you should continue to meet your friend. If you are ever fined you then fight it. The girls who were in the paper for being fined when they met at a country park had their fines overturned.

Chiccie · 28/01/2021 15:11

@Cherrysherbet there is no rule that stares you cannot drive to do exercise

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