Covid: Saltburn visitors 'should have their addresses checked'

The council hired Covid ambassadors to provide guidance but they have no enforcement powers

Police and council marshals should check the addresses of visitors to a seaside town, a councillor has said.

Conservative Philip Thomson claimed hundreds had travelled to Saltburn despite lockdown advice to stay local.

He said council "ambassadors" should photograph vehicle registration plates if requests were refused, as residents were afraid of Covid spreading.

Cleveland Police's chief constable said officers did not have powers "simply to take details".

Redcar and Cleveland Council hired seven Covid ambassadors to provide advice and guidance but it has no enforcement powers.

Police can issue fines in some cases, such as large gatherings.

"If [individuals] reside outside Saltburn and they have no valid reason within the lockdown guidelines to be in the town, they should be asked to return forthwith to their town or village," Mr Thomson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Just asking people to keep their distance is no use whatsoever in this current crisis."

He said he had contacted local authorities and requested that police officers and council-employed ambassadors quiz individuals about where they live.

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Saltburn councillor Philip Thomson said residents were "genuinely afraid" visitors would spread the virus

Cleveland Police's chief constable, Richard Lewis, said there was no law preventing people from travelling to Saltburn.

"We have to strike a very fine balance between enforcement of the regulations, which is important, and differentiating that from guidance such as to stay local," he told BBC Radio Tees.

"It is not necessarily simply about enforcing the law, this is about people's personal responsibility and the vast majority of people do that with aplomb."

Mr Lewis said officers would work closely with Covid ambassadors to give advice and guidance as to what is unlawful.

He added that it was unhelpful to define how big a local area was.

"If there was such a rule, officers would find it impossible to determine if it's just over five miles, just under five miles, I'm not sure that an actual number in terms of distance is actually helpful."

He added it was always "down to the discretion of a police officer" what a person should be stopped for.

Steve Kay, who sits on the Independent and Lib Dem-controlled council's cabinet, said the role of Covid ambassadors was to "encourage and advise".

"They provide useful community intelligence to the council's health protection team which informs the policy of the council. However, they do not have enforcement powers.

"Both they and our other community officer report that most people accept their advice in the spirit it is intended."

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