Tier 2 Warnings For Scarborough, Whitby and Filey Ahead of the Weekend

Friday, 11 December 2020 06:00

Police are reminding people about the Tier 2 Covid rules after a number of fines were issued for rule breaches last weekend.

14 fixed penalty notices were issued to Scarborough Borough residents last weekend out of the 17 issued across North Yorkshire.

The other 3 were given to people visiting Whitby from neighbouring Tier 3 areas.

Superintendent Mike Walker, North Yorkshire Police lead for the force’s Covid response, says the COVID restrictions mean we still can't meet up with friends inside pubs and restaurants.

Superintendent Walker says the 14 fines were issued after a number of people refused to follow advice from officers about meeting indoors.

Superintendent Walker, added

“We will continue to follow our approach of engaging, explaining and encouraging people to do the right thing, only resorting to enforcement as a final measure.

“Thank you to all those local residents and residents of our neighbouring regions, who are making the right decision to stick to the regulations and guidance and are working with us to contain and control the threat of Covid-19.

Commenting on the number of incidents officers attended last weekend, Chief Inspector Rachel Wood, Operational Commander for Scarborough and Ryedale said:

“It’s really concerning to see the number of fixed penalty notices we have had to issue this weekend, especially considering that it was only a few weeks ago that Scarborough had some of the highest infection rates in the UK. Residents, the local authority and our policing teams have all worked so hard to get the infection rates down. So to see people having parties and jeopardising that progress is really quite shocking.

“I realise people want to get their lives back to normal and want to see friends and family – we all do. However, if we all rush out and ignore the regulations, we are going to end up back at square one. The Government have made it clear that tiers are to be reviewed on a regular basis, so the threat of being placed into higher restrictions is real.

“There is concern that as we get further into the festive season, more and more people are going to be tempted to flout the rules. We really do not want to give this virus any chance of spreading again, so I would urge people to adhere to the current regulations and not gather indoors with anyone who is not from your own household.

“Our neighbourhood teams are patrolling and will be ready to take action against any breaches of the regulations and we will use enforcement if we have to. If the thought of putting vulnerable people at risk doesn’t make people think twice, perhaps the prospect of a £200 fine right before Christmas will.”