Police in North Essex issue fines for blatant breaches of lockdown rules

Two women from different households were fined for sleeping in a car

Author: Charlotte FisherPublished 15th Feb 2021

Police in Essex to continue to respond to blatant breaches of lockdown rules.

Covid-19 infection rates have been falling across the county and we’d like to thank people across Essex for following the government guidelines.

However, the virus is still prevalent in our community so it’s essential that you continue to stick to the rules.

The best way to control the spread of the virus, protect your loved ones and ease pressure on the NHS is to stay at home and avoid any unnecessary journeys.

The vast majority of you are doing the right thing but, where clear and blatant breaches have taken place, our officers have responded to them.

Incidents in North Essex

An 18-year-old man had an expensive wake-up call after he travelled from West Mersea to Colchester for a coffee. He had to add the cost of an FPN to the price of his drink after he picked up his girlfriend, from a different household, to keep him company.

Colchester Community Policing Team (CPT) handed out FPNs on Saturday 6 February to two women, aged 19 and 20, who had left their separate households in London to spend the night sleeping in a car by Abberton Reservoir in freezing conditions.

If you are thinking about organising a social gathering or making a non-essential journey, please reconsider, stay safe and stop the unnecessary spread of Covid-19.

Our officers will continue to take a common sense approach to the government’s regulations. They will continue to engage with people, explain the regulations and encourage them to do the right thing.

But, where reasoned conversation is not successful, we will consider enforcement action. We will continue to respond to clear and blatant breaches and, where they occur, work with our partners to resolve them.

We want people to continue to report Covid-19 breaches. You can report them via our website by using our digital 101 service, where you can speak to one of our operators via Live Chat, any day between 7am and 11pm.

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