Covid-19: Lockdown fines for Staffordshire-to-Kent odyssey

Police said the trio had travelled about 200 miles from Staffordshire to Kent

Three men have been fined for breaching Covid rules after their near-200-mile journey to spend the night in an offshore fort ended in a sea rescue.

The trio had driven from Staffordshire to Southend-on-Sea before attempting to cross the estuary to reach the Red Sands Sea Fort near Whitstable.

Kent Police said the men had breached lockdown laws banning outdoor gatherings of more than two people.

A Kent Police chief said lockdown breaches were "incredibly frustrating".

Police said the men were picked up from a rigid inflatable boat on Sunday after getting into difficulty as they tried to reach the World War 2 fort on the other side of the Thames Estuary.

They were taken to Sheerness Docks, where they told police they had intended to spend the night in the fort, one of several built to protect London from sea invasion during the war.

'Still a minority'

The fines were among more than 200 fixed-penalty notices issued over the weekend by Kent Police for breaching Covid-19 regulations.

Assistant Chief Constable Claire Nix said: "While the vast majority of people continue to abide by the latest government guidelines to help stop the spread of the virus, it is incredibly frustrating that there are still a small minority who think the rules don't apply to them."

Fines for breaches in England start at £200.