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Are there any police cordens on roads going in/out London?

50 replies

Elouera · 22/12/2020 12:40

Just that really. I have a legitimate reason to go, but wondered if I'm likely to be stopped and asked?

OP posts:
ThePlantsitter · 22/12/2020 12:41

No.

IfIHadAHeart · 22/12/2020 12:45

If you have a legitimate reason as per the guidance, why would it matter?

January21 · 22/12/2020 12:46

We have all got letters of stopped by the police

Essential retailer do need to travel

7 of us have been stopped over past two days!!!

PingPongBat · 22/12/2020 12:49

January21 when you say you have got letters, what do you mean?

Doingitaloneandproud · 22/12/2020 12:59

Nope, drove to work this morning no problem whatsoever. No sign of any police.

BigSandyBalls2015 · 22/12/2020 13:02

Think of how many routes there are into London and then think how they could possibly do this.

ElephantWhaleRabbit · 22/12/2020 13:02

@PingPongBat

January21 when you say you have got letters, what do you mean?
I assume they mean their employer has issued them with a letter confirming that they need to travel for their employment, like during the first lockdown.
ComtesseDeSpair · 22/12/2020 13:08

“[T]he chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation Ken Marsh said the new coronavirus laws a “toothless tiger” and there is “no way” officers will be knocking on the doors of “normal” households in London to check coronavirus restrictions were being followed...

Mr Marsh told ITV News London that police were advising not enforcing at the capital's major transport hubs and while the Met have the power to issue fines but have ruled out fines to stop people driving out of London.”

From ITV: www.itv.com/news/london/2020-12-21/extra-police-deployed-to-ensure-covid-christmas-travel-bans-followed

ElephantWhaleRabbit · 22/12/2020 13:11

It’s completely unenforceable and is policed by consent (like most laws). Therefore, for it to work the rules have to have legitimacy with the people who are being expected to comply with them. If they don’t have legitimacy, that plus the fact hardly anyone will get caught / punished is a big problem.

Clutterbugsmum · 22/12/2020 13:14

Of course not.

There are not enough Police to cover a 10th of the road going into and out of London or any other Tier 4 area.

ThePlantsitter · 22/12/2020 13:16

@January21

We have all got letters of stopped by the police

Essential retailer do need to travel

7 of us have been stopped over past two days!!!

7 of how many January?
SimplyRadishing · 22/12/2020 13:22

We live on the boarders and were stopped

Mrsmorton · 22/12/2020 13:26

London isn't special! The tier 4 area is huge and as has been said, the police don't have the resources to do this.

Vague bollocks about "boarders" is massively eye rolling.

TeenageMutantNinjaCovid · 22/12/2020 13:36

They have been on the Harrogate to Leeds Road

I was told they were at Leeds station this morning en masse checking where people had come from.

ArchbishopOfBanterbury · 22/12/2020 13:46

Yes, police are stopping people. Can your employer write a letter if you have to go for work?

Sobeyondthehills · 22/12/2020 13:48

Apparently they are doing this in Portsmouth, but I am not sure how much that is internet bollocks or how much of it is true

Meredithgrey1 · 22/12/2020 13:48

What would really be the point? There are so many exceptions it seems ridiculous to even bother trying to check. Support bubbles are still allowed across different tiers, so if someone wanted to travel for any reason, they just say "i'm going to visit my elderly mother who lives alone, we're in a support bubble" and what's anyone going to do? Follow them to check?
I'm not saying people should break the rules, and I'm not encouraging lying. I'm just saying that if you read the legislation, there are a lot of wide-reaching exceptions that are pretty vague and the police simply cannot check everyone's bubbles.

Katie517 · 22/12/2020 13:57

I live in tier 2 about 5 miles from a tier 4 area and there are no police stopping anyone. The list of exemptions is huge and it’s just not enforceable. To the point where restaurants in my local town are now having to check ids for addresses as tier 4 residents are flocking to our high street! This shouldn’t be the responsibility of already stretched hospitality businesses but obviously the police have better things to be doing!

pissoffwhydontyou · 22/12/2020 14:01

We are in East Sussex tier 4 , lots of police checks on most roads leading out to tier 2 , haven't experienced them personally but work colleagues have

Bargebill19 · 22/12/2020 14:03

@BigSandyBalls2015

Think of how many routes there are into London and then think how they could possibly do this.
And just how few police there really are. ... plus the other million and one things they have to do daily.
Onedropbeat · 22/12/2020 14:04

We’re in Hertfordshire / Buckinghamshire border and DH has to drive for work each day and hasn’t seen anything of people being stopped yet

Santasballsack · 22/12/2020 14:08

Im in a tier 3 but work in tier 2, I've been stopped on about 75% of my commutes. They are also checking at rail and bus stations here.

Thewiseoneincognito · 22/12/2020 14:20

You would hope they put up road blocks, it’s unlikely they will sadly.

rollinggreenhills · 22/12/2020 14:24

You can't put up road blocks to stop people driving out of London. All they are doing is going from within a Tier 4 area to another Tier 4 area.

You clearly have no idea how massive the current Tier 4 area surrounding London actually is, and how many roads there are out of it.

TammyHullfigure · 22/12/2020 14:28

@Thewiseoneincognito

You would hope they put up road blocks, it’s unlikely they will sadly.
Perhaps they could construct a wall?