Police And Military Boats To Patrol Beaches As Brits Flout Lockdown Rules

Police and military boats are set to patrol beaches over the bank holiday weekend after some Brits continue to ignore social distancing rules set out by the government.

Forces around the country have put out warnings, after scenes across the UK on Good Friday saw some people continuing to flout the rules, despite the UK suffering its most deadly day yet - with almost 10,000 coronavirus deaths reported at the time of writing.

PA

The UK is experiencing its warmest days of the year, with most areas experiencing 24 degree heat.

Paul Netherton, deputy chief constable of Devon and Cornwall, confirmed that officers would be keeping an eye on coastlines around the area, armed with public address systems to make sure that the rules put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus are adhered to.

Speaking to The Times, Mr Netherton said: "Marine fleets from bases in Portsmouth and Plymouth will be operating along the Dorset, Devon and Cornwall coastlines ensuring people do not gather unnecessarily on beaches.

"They have tannoys and can tell people to move on."

The UK's death toll is set to pass 10,000 by the end of the day, with photos emerging of people being moved on by police for not practicing social distancing measures.

Police were called to move on surfers who flouted coronavirus advice and decided to go out in the sea in Tynemouth yesterday (10 April).

With the weather tempting people out over the bank holiday, it seems some people have been seen ignoring advice from the government to 'stay at home', as the Evening Chronicle reported that police were required to disperse the surfers at Tynemouth Longsands.

A spokesperson for Northumbria Police told the newspaper: "The police are encouraging the public to comply with the Government guidelines and the police will enforce regulations where appropriate.

"We are encouraging the public to stay at home. We try to engage with people to follow the guidelines and we will enforce the law where appropriate but we are trying to engage with people in the first instance."

Although 'daily exercise' has been allowed in the UK, despite it being taken off the government's official website, people have been asked to stay indoors repeatedly throughout the last few weeks in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Topics: uk news, Coronavirus

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. After a few years working on festivals and events, she went back to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia likes music, Liverpool FC, and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward