Coronavirus: 'Hundreds' breach Covid-19 restrictions in Yorkshire

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Wild camping Covid breachesImage source, North Yorkshire Police
Image caption,

Police issued fines to one group of eight people in North Yorkshire who were wild camping

Police have dealt with hundreds of breaches of coronavirus restrictions in North Yorkshire over the weekend as people flocked to national parks.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan said officers dealt with 360 incidents by Saturday evening.

In the Yorkshire Dales, officers fined a group of eight people from six households who had travelled from West Yorkshire to go wild camping.

Ms Mulligan said people "organising mass gatherings" was "not helpful".

She said there were also groups of motorcyclists who were "a challenge for the police in several parts of North Yorkshire, as they were out in large groups instead of their families or one other person".

"It's been pretty bad in Masham, Pateley Bridge, on the coast, Bolton Abbey and Fewston reservoir," Ms Mulligan added.

"Three hundred and sixty incidents required a police presence by 17:00 on Saturday.

"The government's advice is stay at home as much as you can, that's fine if you're sensible, but there were people this weekend who were not sensible, people who deliberately organised mass gatherings and that is not helpful at all."

Masham Parish Council chairman Flo Grainger said: "It was unreal.

"Obviously they weren't all going to Masham, but Masham's car parks were full, there were people all over the place and they were not self-distancing.

"On Saturday night there were people having a party on the tables in the middle of the market place, drinking wine and eating fish and chips.

"Our locals are absolutely incensed."

On the east coast, Humber Coastguard said "many people had been enjoying the English coastline following the change in government guidelines".

However, it added that not everybody was "being responsible on the water".

"We're seeing a large number of incidents involving kayakers, jet skiers and kite surfers getting into trouble," the spokesperson said.

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