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Original poster

Two Women fined for walking for Starbucks

648 replies

Superketchup · 08/01/2021 13:17

What rule have they broken? I don’t understand. Two of them met - yes can meet one other person - they’d driven 5 miles - surely that’s ok?! - and they had a Starbucks each which the police said was a picnic?!
Why are they keeping takeaways open if it’s agaisnt the law to get one? I took my kids to the park, the coffee shop was open for takeaway. It was freezing. We got a hot chocolate each. I’m too scared to do so again!

OP posts:
AlecTrevelyan006 · 08/01/2021 14:20

Ridiculous over-policing

vanillandhoney · 08/01/2021 14:21

@fluufy

Stay in your local area and only go out to exercise does not mean travel to a different county, via starbucks, to meet a friend for a chat.

I have no idea if the police were right or not, but I don't really care, I'm too sick of people pulling this shit.

Do we actually want to ever get out of lockdown or not?

The police shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place because they haven't broken the law.

Do you really want to live in a country where the police can randomly decide to fine you when you've done nothing wrong?

CleverCatty · 08/01/2021 14:21

vanillaandhoney - travelling 20 miles to your nearest supermarket (but you could get online shopping delivered) is a bit different from travelling 5 miles to meet a friend for a walk and a coffee.

curlymom · 08/01/2021 14:21

I just read this. Not sure what to think really. I think a walk with a coffee is ok but the issue may be the five mile drive. I think the rules are not clear to what is local so open to interpretation. Where I live I can get to the next town in five miles so I don’t regard it as local. In any case, a warning would have sufficed for the two ladies, the fine was a bit too much in my opinion.

Miljea · 08/01/2021 14:21

The police aren't covering themselves in glory, are they?

fluufy · 08/01/2021 14:21

hey were walking with a Starbucks in their hands. Walking is exercise. It's cold in Derbyshire, there's nothing wrong with having a hot drink on a walk, I often take a flask but that doesn't make it a picnic

Also cold in Leics, which is where they drove from. Going to the next county is not your local area.

fluufy · 08/01/2021 14:22

(unless you live right on the border, which apparetnly they dont)

vanillandhoney · 08/01/2021 14:22

@DumplingsAndStew

Are Derbyshire and Leicestershire different counties? I think in Scotland, at least, its against law to travel outwith your county or council area.
It's not against the law in England, though.

The fact that they're different counties is irrelevant. Five miles is hardly a long distance.

Original poster
Superketchup · 08/01/2021 14:22

IMO this makes no difference to whether we get out of lockdown. Even if we do - what then? It comes back. We know this. So should we all lock ourselves in our houses with absolutely no interaction forever? That’s what some people seem to think. It’s a virus. I hate the blaming people for staying in lockdown.

OP posts:
oakleaffy · 08/01/2021 14:24

Much easier for the police to deal with a couple of Coffee Wielding women than knife wielding crack dealers.
Easy target?

pinfloy · 08/01/2021 14:25

5 miles is quite a way!

Lol, reminds me of when we were house hunting, I asked the vendors why they were moving and they said they were moving out the area...to the next village 5 miles away.

DumplingsAndStew · 08/01/2021 14:25

@CleverCatty

d'oh of course they are.

No need for that, I was asking a question. I wanted to clarify.
Is it law in England that you shouldn't cross from one county or council area to another?

fluufy · 08/01/2021 14:25

am very clear on what the law currently states I can and can't do, and I will follow the law as I am a law abiding citizen. The law is definitely not about "nuance and grey areas" as I'm sure many a high court judge will tell you. And who are you to judge whether something is or isn't helpful? The government have set the law, having listened to the advice of many, many scientists. If something is "technically allowed" it is allowed. End of

This is exaclty why we are in this mess. This attitude of "If its not actually illegal I'll do whatever I want. Guidelines are not law so I'll ignore all of them and only stick to the things I'll be fined for if I don't".

Well done, so proud.

lazylinguist · 08/01/2021 14:26

Stay in your local area and only go out to exercise does not mean travel to a different county, via starbucks, to meet a friend for a chat.

I live a mile from a county border. Every single walk I do (daily with my dog) is more than a mile. Sometimes I cross the border. My nearest supermarket is in the next county.

You are allowed to meet a friend outside. Why is Starbucks allowed to be open if you're not allowed to buy a drink there? How on earth does a drink constitute a picnic?

These police are overstepping the mark. I think I read that they are the same police force that was heavily criticised last lockdown for posting drone footage of people out exercising.

benedicto · 08/01/2021 14:26

Now I am scared to do my exercise that requires a short drive.
What kind of police force makes people scared to do something that isn't against the written word of the law?

vanillandhoney · 08/01/2021 14:26

Is it law in England that you shouldn't cross from one county or council area to another?

No. It's guidance. Not law.

NiceLegsShameAboutTheFace · 08/01/2021 14:26

I'm not at all confused, thanks for your concern. I am very clear on what the law currently states I can and can't do, and I will follow the law as I am a law abiding citizen. The law is definitely not about "nuance and grey areas" as I'm sure many a high court judge will tell you. And who are you to judge whether something is or isn't helpful? The government have set the law, having listened to the advice of many, many scientists. If something is "technically allowed" it is allowed. End of. It doesn't matter whether you consider it helpful or not. They were outside, going for a walk, maintaining social distance. They were putting no one at risk. One of them admitted they struggled with anxiety and found walking here beneficial. I am an NHS clinician working in mental health. You have no idea the horrors I have dealt with in the last 12 months. I would argue that anything a person can do to look after their mental health, within the law and safely, is actually extremely helpful right now.

The voice of reason. Thank you Smile

Whatever9999 · 08/01/2021 14:26

@Joeblack066

They had gone from Leics to Derbys tho. Guidelines are to stay in your local area. I wouldn’t do it at the moment.
I need to walk the 5-10min in to the town that neighbours my village to get to my local supermarket. Similar distance to the next village. So impossible to stay "local" to my village.

Then I can get from where I am in Essex to Suffolk in less than 10min while running, at a guess less than 3min by car (slightly more roundabout route by car). So saying by county isn't helpful. People from the nearest village in Suffolk shop in the small town next to where I live. Runners from both side of the border run across the bridge to go from one county to the other. Sometimes if you're on the footpaths you can't actually tell whether you are in Suffolk or Essex, it kind of depends which side of the river you're on. So by county doesn't work well either.

TantieTowie · 08/01/2021 14:26

@Plussizejumpsuit

Ah it's in Derbyshire if I remember rightly they were massively ott in the first lockdown. Also just to say I'm pro lockdown not some covid conspiracy nutter.
They were the ones with the drones, weren't they, checking on dog walkers?
ravenmum · 08/01/2021 14:26

Taking a bottle of water with you on a walk wouldn't be classed as a picnic
Is that true? I looked on police sites with Google but couldn't find any Covid definition of a picnic.

It does seem so vague and open to interpretation. The article quotes various well-informed people who agree that the police were in the wrong.

Here in Germany, the rules are laid out in laws - by ordinance - which go into quite some detail. Seems a lot clearer than the UK if this is anything to go by.

Original poster
Superketchup · 08/01/2021 14:27

No fluufy - it’s more there’s precious little left in terms of joy. Please explain how the above instance spread covid? How does meeting one other person, distance, outdoors and walking - is that instrumental in the spread of covid?

OP posts:
benedicto · 08/01/2021 14:27

@lazylinguist

Stay in your local area and only go out to exercise does not mean travel to a different county, via starbucks, to meet a friend for a chat.

I live a mile from a county border. Every single walk I do (daily with my dog) is more than a mile. Sometimes I cross the border. My nearest supermarket is in the next county.

You are allowed to meet a friend outside. Why is Starbucks allowed to be open if you're not allowed to buy a drink there? How on earth does a drink constitute a picnic?

These police are overstepping the mark. I think I read that they are the same police force that was heavily criticised last lockdown for posting drone footage of people out exercising.

I agree with all this.

And it isn't just Derbyshire police. I live far from there, but in rural areas where I live the police are doing the same.

Obviously it would be far harder to do in a busy built-up area, but very easy in the countryside.

CleverCatty · 08/01/2021 14:28

[quote DumplingsAndStew]@CleverCatty

d'oh of course they are.

No need for that, I was asking a question. I wanted to clarify.
Is it law in England that you shouldn't cross from one county or council area to another?[/quote]
I'm not sure if it's law re county or boundary crossing - but you're supposed to meet someone 'locally' - I personally don't consider this to be local - especially as it's crossing a county border and is 5 miles away.

others will probably disagree with me.

DumplingsAndStew · 08/01/2021 14:30

@vanillandhoney

Is it law in England that you shouldn't cross from one county or council area to another?

No. It's guidance. Not law.

Okay thank you for clarifying that.

I wonder if the police will make a statement to clarify what the charge was. Its either a ridiculous (and illegal) fine, or there's more to it.

CleverCatty · 08/01/2021 14:30

@ravenmum

Taking a bottle of water with you on a walk wouldn't be classed as a picnic Is that true? I looked on police sites with Google but couldn't find any Covid definition of a picnic.

It does seem so vague and open to interpretation. The article quotes various well-informed people who agree that the police were in the wrong.

Here in Germany, the rules are laid out in laws - by ordinance - which go into quite some detail. Seems a lot clearer than the UK if this is anything to go by.

But you are living in Germany - we're in the UK where it's hard if not nigh on impossible to enforce the laws as then people start bleating about it being 'unfair'.