Covid: Derbyshire men did not know rules as they 'don't watch TV'

Derbyshire Police said a man had invited three friends to play football in a car park

Four men fined over Covid breaches said they did not know the rules as they "don't watch television", police said.

Derbyshire Police said officers noticed a kick-about taking place in a car park on Derby Road, Melbourne, on Tuesday afternoon.

It turned out a man had invited three friends to join him for a match.

When challenged about restrictions, one said he and his friends did not watch television news because it contained "too much talk about coronavirus".

'Incandescent-cheeked males'

Mercia safer neighbourhood team officers said they were on a routine patrol when they saw a football rolling towards a road.

In a Facebook post, the officers said: "The ball was retrieved by a perplexed-looking lone male.

"When officers pulled over to speak to the man about road safety awareness, it became immediately clear that he'd invited three other men (in three separate cars) to make non-essential journeys to his father's home for a kick-about.

"As officers attempted to explain the need to follow widely-publicised current guidance, one of the incandescent-cheeked males stated that he and his friends didn't watch television news reports because they contained 'too much talk about coronavirus'."

All four men were issued with £200 fixed penalty notices and asked to disperse.

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