Covid-19: Gateshead families fined for barbecue lockdown breach

The group was having a barbecue on the County Durham moors

Five people who held a barbecue with their children on the snow-covered County Durham moors have been fined for flouting Covid-19 lockdown rules.

The group of 13, which included eight children, had travelled 20 miles (32km) from Gateshead to Waskerley, near Consett, in three vehicles on Thursday.

The adults from three households were each fined £200, Durham police said.

Police added "unnecessary strain" could have been put on emergency services if the group had crashed in poor weather.

They added they could have also put themselves at risk of catching coronavirus.

The adults initially told police they did not believe they had done anything wrong, the force said.

After receiving fixed penalty notices they were sent home with their children, the youngest of whom was aged seven months old.

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Supt Ritchie Allen, of Durham Constabulary, said some people were "bending the rules" and "putting others at risk".

"While we know the stay at home guidance has been particularly challenging for many people, travelling to host a barbecue get together with other households is not acceptable," he said.

"Those in attendance risked not only their own lives but also those of others and could put extra pressure on an already struggling NHS."

The government's guidelines warn that during the lockdown it is against the law to leave your home without a "reasonable excuse".