From McDonald’s to buying drugs: The most bizarre excuses for breaking lockdown rules
We may be in lockdown, but even a £200 fine won’t get between some people and their takeaway
Last updated 20th Apr 2021
Police around the country have been cautioning and fining people who continue to flout Covid-19 restrictions, despite being in lockdown.
Fines have been issued for travelling long distances and making unnecessary trips, including days out and takeaways.
In one particular case, a man claimed he had driven over 100 miles from Luton to Devizes for a McDonald’s drive thru.
However, his excuse fell flat on its face given the Wiltshire town doesn’t even have a McDonald’s branch, and he was fined £200.
A very expensive takeaway...
A craving for fast food seems to be a theme in the issuing of fines, with another man stopped in Walton having driven 30 miles to a fried chicken shop.
Meanwhile, one man cited “buying cannabis” as the reason for his 45-minute train journey from Surbiton to Guildford. Unsurprisingly, this was not deemed an essential journey, and Surrey police issued a £200 fine.
Among the other bizarre excuses is someone who drove from Portsmouth to North Wales to pick up a car bumper, racking up 270 miles.
The North Wales police force who stopped the car said: "Travelling nearly 300 miles for a piece of cosmetic plastic for your car is not essential at this time.”
One group claimed they were unaware of the Covid-19 pandemic
The most inventive excuse of all, however, came from a group of party-organisers in Basingstoke, who shocked Hampshire police when they claimed that they didn’t realise there was a global pandemic because they “never watch the news”.
Tweeting about the incident, the force used the hashtag, "#ThereAreNoWords".
Here's the strangest things people bought in the first lockdown:
Lots of people sponsored a llama
Balls of wool for knitting
Hot tub sales sky rocketed!
Some people bought robot hoovers to help with the housework
Shed extensions were also popular
And then people bought beer machines to put in their shed-bars!
Ring lights also proved popular to improve lighting while working from home
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