'Do not visit North Yorkshire for unessential trips', police urge ahead of weekend

North Yorkshire Police said it was seeing an "increased number" of people making unnecessary car journeys at weekends to visit the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, despite restrictions on unnecessary travel to minimise the spread of coronavirus.

It follows one man from Lancashire who was stopped in his car at Malton on Monday evening, telling officers he had been visiting the beach at Filey to use a metal detector.

Over the Easter weekend, police in Cumbria said it had stopped two men from Yorkshire on a road in the Lake District, who told officers they were driving to Lake Windermere for canoeing.

More than 350 fixed penalty notices have been issued by North Yorkshire Police since new laws came into force to police unessential travel, with the force revealing that nearly half (48 per cent) of those were handed to non-residents visiting from outside the county, in particular, at open spaces and beauty spots.

Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker said that among those stopped were a group of friends from West Yorkshire who had travelled to climb the Yorkshire Three Peaks and a group from Bradford who were visiting the Dales.

He said: “Usually we welcome visitors with open arms. However, for the sake of the health and safety of both the region and the nation, we are asking you to please stay away for the time being.

“In short, the virus moves if people move. So the way to stop the spread is to limit our movements down to only the very essential.

"I do not believe a group of friends travelling from West Yorkshire to climb the Yorkshire Three Peaks is essential nor do I believe a group of people travelling into the Yorkshire Dales from Bradford for a day out is essential.

“Please believe me, I understand how important exercise is to people’s mental health. However, exercise can be taken from your doorstep and there is no reasonable or justifiable need to make a 50-mile trip".