More fines issued for illegal gatherings in Scarborough Borough

The Borough of Scarborough has once again topped the list for the most fines handed out for Coronavirus breaches across North Yorkshire.

Author: Karen LiuPublished 14th Apr 2021

The Borough of Scarborough has once again topped the list for the most fines handed out for Coronavirus breaches across North Yorkshire.

In the last seven days (Monday 5th April to Sunday 11th April) only 48 fixed penalty notices were issued across the county - 39 in Scarborough, 7 in Ryedale and 2 in Hambleton. They were all for breaches related to indoor gatherings.

Chief Inspector Charlotte Bloxham, North Yorkshire Police’s operational response lead for the Coronavirus pandemic, gave the following update at this morning’s (Wed 14 April 2021) Local Resilience Forum briefing.

She said:

"My overriding plea is for everyone to keep following the health protection regulations and the hands, face, space and fresh air safety measures, to help keep the Roadmap Out of Lockdown on track.

"The gradual easing of the lockdown is very much welcomed. Our policing teams will continue to play their part, alongside our community partners, to keep people safe as we move towards a more normal way of living.

"We can reach this goal by working together. As we’ve said before, we’ve got to keep this effort going until the pandemic is under control. We’re heading in the right direction but we’re not there yet.

"In terms of enforcement, I’m pleased to report that North Yorkshire Police has not yet had to issue any Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) since the move to Step 2 of the roadmap on Monday 12 April.

"During the past week (5-11 April), only 48 FPNs were issued – 39 in Scarborough, 7 in Ryedale and 2 in Hambleton. All the breaches related to indoor gatherings.

"There were none issued in Craven, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Selby and York.

"Our patrol plans are in place to maintain a highly visible and reassuring presence in our communities.

"We have the necessary resources to deal with the Covid-related issues and any disorder and criminality that may come to the fore with the easing of restrictions.

"Just this week, North Yorkshire Police has launched an operation targeting drink-driving to coincide with the opening of outdoor hospitality.

"We’re also involved in promoting the new Counter Terrorism Policing’s “Easing Lockdown Vigilance Campaign” to raise awareness about such threats in crowded locations.

"We will continue to keep people safe from any type of harm, from dealing with a public health crisis like Covid-19 to rooting out potential terrorist threats in our area."

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