Lockdown rebels were today ordered off the beach and out of parks by police with loudspeakers as hundreds continued to ignore social distancing rules to lie in 77F sunshine.
As many broke the rules at their local parks and beaches, others flocked to rural areas and were reprimanded by locals. In north Wales one man was seen removing road blocks in order to get to a beach so he could use his kayak.
When questioned by one resident, he simply said that the rules ‘only applied to large towns and cities’, claiming that he ‘knew what he was talking about’.
It comes as Downing Street has been forced to warn police officers against ‘heavy-handed’ lockdown tactics after officers admitted to prowling through supermarket aisles in a bid to catch shoppers buying ‘non-essential’ items.
Police forces across the country have been accused of being over-zealous in their Easter weekend crackdown as they threatened to check through people’s shopping, causing #policestateUK to trend on Twitter.
The warning saw Downing Street warn police today that ‘if a shop is open then it will sell whatever it has in stock’, while Home Secretary Priti Patel called on officers not to be ‘heavy-handed’ during the coronavirus lockdown.
This is while Health Secretary Matt Hancock also urged people to stay at home over the Easter Weekend, after many people indulged in sunbathing and playing sports today on beaches and parks up and down the country.
Sunbathing Brits on Hove beach on the south coast were threatened with arrest by police, pictured, after not moving on when told to
One man was seen in north Wales moving road blocks in order to get to a secluded area. When questioned by a local he said that the rules only applied to towns and cities
People were seen having fun in the sun this afternoon on Brighton beach despite strict rules in place from the government
Hundreds of people, including these two pictured today in London’s Hyde Park, continued to ignore the lockdown rules to take advantage of the sunny weather
A woman sunbathing in London’s Primrose Hill today, pictured, is spoken to by police as part of efforts to enforce the government’s lockdown policy
The widespread action in public places, pictured, comes as Downing Street has been forced to warn police officers against ‘heavy-handed’ lockdown tactics
Temperatures are expected to hit 77F (25C) today, with highs of 79F (26C) forecast for Saturday. Sunday could see some thunder in the afternoon
It comes as Cambridge Police’s official Twitter account boasted that officers had visited a local superstore this morning to snoop on shoppers and found aisles selling non-essentials were ’empty’.
The tweet caused outrage from social media users, with many pointing to a post sent by the same account hours earlier thanking a local chocolate shop for dropping off a ‘generation donation of goodies’ at its police station.
Meanwhile a viral video showed a South Yorkshire police officer scolding a family on their own doorstep for letting their young children play on their front lawn.
The force later apologised for the encounter, which it called ‘well-intentioned but ill-informed’, after the officer told the young family: ‘You do not want your children getting the virus, it does not stop in front of your garden.’
This is while in Wales one man was slammed by a local resident after he decided to remove road blocks from the area so he could go kayaking.
The unnamed man had removed a roadblock to access the beach at Aberffraw, Anglesey.
The beauty spot is famous for its medieval church which sits on an island off the coast.
One local confronted this unnamed man in north Wales when he was seen to be moving road blocks in order to get through so he could go kayaking
Villager Eric Roberts, 43, explained he was checking on his sheep when he spotted a blue car parked on a hill above the beach this morning. He said: ‘There’s been a ‘Road Closed’ sign and cones on the lane for a few days now. The guy had obviously moved them to get to the beach.
‘I waited around a few minutes and watched as he loaded his kayak into the car. Then he came driving up the lane and had to move the sign and bollards again to continue his journey.
‘I decided to politely confront him and explain calmly why he shouldn’t have been there.’
Eric filmed the stand-off in a video which has been shared almost 5,000 times and had 54,000 views on Facebook.
The grey haired man – wearing shorts and sandals – is seen climbing out of his blue 2018-plate Jaguar.
Police were pictured warning a man and children not to play ball on an empty Sheringham Beach today
Eric asks him to replace the cones and sign to prevent other accessing the beach, before telling him: ‘You shouldn’t be here in the first place.’
The man replies: ‘The rules were set for big towns and cities. Here in the rural environment it’s a completely different kettle of fish.
‘I’ve done contamination control. I know what I’m talking about.’
Eric tells him: ‘The government says essential travel only. With a kayak? Do you think that’s essential?’
He replies: ‘No, but I am working away from other people.’
The man says he lives in nearby Menai Bridge, where the tidal waters of the Menai Straits separate Anglesey from mainland Wales, and Eric asks why he hasn’t chosen to canoe closer to home.
‘What’s wrong with the Straits to go with that plastic thing you’ve got in the car? Nothing.’ Eric says. ‘Why come here?’
The man replies: ‘The current in the Straits is quite strong.’ Eric says: ‘Good – you’ll get a good paddle, it’ll give you good muscles.’
The confrontation ends with the man returning to reassemble the roadblock.
Eric said afterwards: ‘It’s a popular little spot in summer, we might see eight cars parked up at a time.
‘But there’s no reason to be down there now unless you live in the village. I couldn’t believe my ears when he tried to claim the rules only applied to towns and cities. They’re for everyone!
‘I was waiting for him to come back with a cocky reply, but he admitted himself that coming here with a kayak isn’t essential travel.
‘I live right on the square in the village and see everyone that comes through. I’ve had to have words with at least five other people over the last week. We’d had people driving from ten miles away to ‘walk the dog’.
‘Why can’t they walk their dogs where they live?’
Warnings that officers would stop and search those venturing out during the four-day break saw Britain’s roads left eerily quiet on Good Friday, on what is usually one of the busiest days of the year for car journeys.
Motorways, usually teeming with millions of holidaymakers making their way to seaside resorts, were left deserted this morning as top cops warned they would set up road blocks to grill motorists on why they were not at home.
Police chiefs yesterday called for laws to ban Britons from driving long distances and flouting rules to exercise more than once a day ahead of a 77F (25C) Easter weekend.
Cambridge Police’s tweet in which it gloated of prowling through non-essential aisles was met with anger by many on social media.
The tweet read: ‘Officers visited Tesco Barhill this morning as part of their patrols around supermarkets and green spaces this weekend.
‘Good to see everyone was abiding by social distancing measures and the non-essential aisles were empty.’
But in a follow-up on Twitter the force said the initial post, which has since been deleted, was made by an ‘over exuberant officer’ and that its position was in line with national guidance.
‘For clarification, the force position, in line with national guidance, is that we are not monitoring what people are buying from supermarkets,’ it said.
A young couple ignored coronavirus lockdown rules and proceeded to pitch a six person tent in the middle of a village green. Residents were shocked by the brazen attitude of the couple, who decided to camp opposite properties in Bidston, Merseyside
Young people were spotted sneaking into trees this afternoon, pictured, at West Cliff Green in Bournemouth, Dorset
Crowds of people still flocked to London’s Hyde Park today, pictured, despite the clear orders to stay inside amid the coronavirus pandemic
Some lockdown rebels, pictured, decided to take a dip in the sea off the coast of Brighton amid the soaring temperatures
A substantial police presence has been in force throughout the day, pictured, to crack down on those flouting the rules
Kayaker claims stay at home rules ‘only apply to towns and cities’ as he is reprimanded by local for travelling to remote Welsh beach
A man confronted returning from a kayaking trip off a north Wales beach claimed lockdown rules only applied to towns and cities.
The unnamed man had removed a roadblock to access the beach at Aberffraw, Anglesey.
The beauty spot is famous for its medieval church which sits on an island off the coast.
Villager Eric Roberts, 43, explained he was checking on his sheep when he spotted a blue car parked on a hill above the beach this morning.
A man is seen emerging from bushes as he dismantles a road block as he leaves a beach at Aberffraw, Anglesey
He said: ‘There’s been a ‘Road Closed’ sign and cones on the lane for a few days now. The guy had obviously moved them to get to the beach.
‘I waited around a few minutes and watched as he loaded his kayak into the car. Then he came driving up the lane and had to move the sign and bollards again to continue his journey.
‘I decided to politely confront him and explain calmly why he shouldn’t have been there.’
Eric filmed the stand-off in a video which has been shared almost 5,000 times and had 54,000 views on Facebook.
The grey haired man – wearing shorts and sandals – is seen climbing out of his blue 2018-plate Jaguar.
Eric asks him to replace the cones and sign to prevent other accessing the beach, before telling him: ‘You shouldn’t be here in the first place.’
The man replies: ‘The rules were set for big towns and cities. Here in the rural environment it’s a completely different kettle of fish.
‘I’ve done contamination control. I know what I’m talking about.’
Eric tells him: ‘The government says essential travel only. With a kayak? Do you think that’s essential?’
He replies: ‘No, but I am working away from other people.’
The man says he lives in nearby Menai Bridge, where the tidal waters of the Menai Straits separate Anglesey from mainland Wales, and Eric asks why he hasn’t chosen to canoe closer to home.
‘What’s wrong with the Straits to go with that plastic thing you’ve got in the car? Nothing.’ Eric says. ‘Why come here?’
The man replies: ‘The current in the Straits is quite strong.’
Eric says: ‘Good – you’ll get a good paddle, it’ll give you good muscles.’
The confrontation ends with the man returning to reassemble the roadblock.
Eric said afterwards: ‘It’s a popular little spot in summer, we might see eight cars parked up at a time.
‘But there’s no reason to be down there now unless you live in the village. I couldn’t believe my ears when he tried to claim the rules only applied to towns and cities. They’re for everyone!
‘I was waiting for him to come back with a cocky reply, but he admitted himself that coming here with a kayak isn’t essential travel.
‘I live right on the square in the village and see everyone that comes through. I’ve had to have words with at least five other people over the last week. We’d had people driving from ten miles away to ‘walk the dog’.
‘Why can’t they walk their dogs where they live?’
‘This message was sent with good intentions by an over exuberant officer who has been spoken to since this tweet was published.’
The force added that while it has had to issue a small number of fines to those ignoring lockdown guidance, none of these were in relation to shopping or supermarket visits.
Among those to chastise the post was Pip Moss, who wrote: ‘The law doesn’t forbid the purchase of non-essential items when also shopping for essentials such as food.
‘Your officers time could be better spent, and over-stepping the law like this harms public confidence in the police.’
Another user added: ‘One day you’re going to have to look back on all this and tell people that in the midst of crisis you chose to spend your time patrolling around looking to enforce laws that didn’t exist.’
At a press conference today, Mr Hancock said in order to stay safe over the Easter Weekend it would need a ‘national effort’.
‘This Easter will be another test of the nation’s resolve. It’s a time of year when people normally come together.
‘But however warm the weather, however tempting your local beach or park, we need everyone to stay at home.
‘Because in hospitals across the country, NHS staff are battling day and night to keep desperately sick people breathing, and they need you to stay at home.’
Speaking yesterday, Northamptonshire Police said the ‘three-week grace period is over’ and threatened that they may even soon start ‘checking the items in baskets and trolleys’.
Its Chief Constable Nick Adderley said: ‘We will not at this stage be starting to marshal supermarkets and checking the items in baskets and trolleys to see whether it’s a legitimate and necessary item.
‘But again, be under no illusion, if people do not heed the warnings, and the pleas that I’m making, we will start to do that.’
And he added: ‘If things don’t improve, and we don’t get the compliance we would expect, then the next stage will be road blocks and it will be stopping people to ask why they are going, where they’re going.’
But asked about the prospect of police officers potentially checking shopping trolleys, Ms Patel told TalkRADIO: ‘That is not appropriate, let me be clear on that… that is not the guidance.’
Officers in Windermere, Cumbria, are already sending people in camper vans home, while locals in St Ives, Cornwall, blocked some roads to protect vulnerable residents.
Police have also created online forms for people to report potential breaches of the lockdown which was imposed on March 23 to slow the spread of the deadly disease.
Merseyside Police said it will begin randomly stopping cars in its area to ensure drivers are sticking to lockdown rules ahead of the weekend.
Today in Merseyside however, one young couple seemed to take no notice of the lockdown rules and proceeded to pitch a six-man tent on a green in the Bidston area.
After receiving a number of glares from the public the couple decided to leave their spot, as residents become more and more aware of the rules around social distancing.
Home Secretary Priti Patel, who has not been seen or heard in public since March 23, said in an unexpected radio interview this evening that police must not act in a ‘heavy-handed’ manner during the coronavirus lockdown.
She also said the government will ‘absolutely not’ be increasing police powers amid concerns about the way in which some officers have interpreted government guidance on breaking up groups and stopping journeys.
Mr Adderley said forces are ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ when it comes to implementing the lockdown rules, and said the government guidance ‘could be even clearer’.
Reacting to the trolley claims made by Mr Adderley, ex-justice secretary David Gauke said they were ‘wholly inappropriate’ and reveal ‘worrying and unacceptable authoritarian instincts.’
Civil liberties campaigners were also furious, with Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo stating the ‘suggestion of police rummaging through people’s shopping trolleys is outrageous’ as she questioned what the legal basis would be for doing so.
Mr Adderley later attempted to clarify his remarks, tweeting: ‘To be clear on the shopping trolley issue: This is about essential and necessary journeys, not what’s in your trolley. I have been clear that we will not be judge and jury on what is an essential item or not, but we may now probe the purpose of the journey.’
A video shows a South Yorkshire police officer scolding a family on their own doorstep for letting their young children play on their lawn during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has killed 7,978 people in the UK so far
Cambridge Police’s official Twitter account boasted this morning that officers had visited a local superstore and found aisles selling non-essentials such as barbecues and sun loungers were ’empty’
A before and after comparison shows Lyme Regis beach in Dorset, both today as it lies almost completely empty (left), and at this time last year when it was teeming with holidaymakers (right)
The M5 motorway in Worcester, Worcestershire, which is normally busy during the Easter bank holiday getaway, is quiet as the UK continues in lockdown to reduce the spread of coronavirus
Durham Police were castigated by social media users after seemingly suggesting that people should not be using their bicycles to exercise this weekend, in contrary to current government advice
A police officer walks up and down Brighton beach asking people to move on during the coronavirus lockdown this Good Friday
A shopper makes her way home after picking up some paint today. Discount website Vouchercodes said it had seen a 445 per cent increase in the search for DIY equipment in the week-long lead up to the Easter weekend
The Cotswold village of Bibury, usually teeming with holidaymakers during the Easter weekend, is deserted after it was closed to visitors today
The police have the power to issue fines to people who gather in groups during the lockdown. People are only supposed to go outside for food, medicine, to get to work, or for exercise once a day.
The emergency Coronavirus Act gave police powers to impose restrictions on ‘events and gatherings’ and it has been suggested that this could be used by forces in an attempt to justify road blocks.
However, the law does not include any provision that could force people to require prior permission, show paperwork, or demonstrate reasonable cause for leaving their home.
Police forces in Cambridgeshire, London, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Kent and Avon and Somerset have all brought in online services for the public to report potential breaches of the lockdown rules.
The announcement on the online forms from Cambridgeshire Constabulary faced some criticism online, with one person describing it as a ‘revolting’ idea.
But a spokesman for the force urged people to only use the form ‘if there is a significant issue or breach’.
Police forces in beauty spots across Britain have reported seeing visitors travel long distances from their homes to enjoy the recent warm weather.
People travelled far to spend time in Cumbria last weekend, while Malham Cove in North Yorkshire had visitors from Bradford, Leeds and Oldham – which is more than 50 miles away.
In the South West, Chief Superintendent Ian Drummond-Smith, police commander for Cornwall, warned non-residents to stay away from the area.
He said: ‘Our officers will be patrolling this weekend, firstly on the M5 and A30 in an attempt to prevent visitors from entering the force area, and then locally to enforce the restrictions.
‘We will do so in a fair and balanced manner, but travelling down to the West Country is a serious breach of these restrictions and those doing so can expect to receive a fine.’
The M25 near Dartford in Kent was also eerily quiet this morning (right) compared to the busy traffic of the four-day holiday last year (left)
Sales of gardening and DIY items have skyrocketed (shown today) as Brits prepare for a sun-drenched lockdown in the back garden after police threatened to stomp out all non-essential travel
A busy Richmond riverside is pictured today as people enjoy their daily allowance of exercise ahead of a four-day Bank Holiday weekend in Britain
The M25 near Dartford in Kent was also eerily quiet this morning (right) compared to the busy traffic of the four-day holiday last year (left)
Police (shown in central London today) have been accused of being over-zealous in their approach as they threatened to set up road blocks to grill motorists on why they were not at home, causing #policestateUK to trend on Twitter
Have you been scolded by over-zealous police? Email [email protected] with your stories