Police discover two North Yorkshire pubs serving alcohol as drinkers watched sport and played pool

North Yorkshire Police visited two pubs last weekend – and found them both open and serving drinks.

They were acting on tip-offs from the public about possible breaches of coronavirus legislation.

A force spokesperson said: “Officers attended a premises in Scarborough at 8.35pm on Friday (5 February) and found a group of people inside, some of whom were found to be playing pool.

“Alcohol was available and disco lights and music were in use. Seven fixed penalty notices were issued in relation to Covid legislation breaches.

“At around 6pm on Saturday (6 February) officers attended a premises in Whitby. A group of people were found to be inside, drinking and watching rugby.

“Five fixed penalty notices were issued in relation Covid legislation breaches.

“Both premises have been reported to the relevant licensing departments and an investigation is ongoing.”

They haven’t named the pubs.

Travelling from outside

In total, North Yorkshire Police have issued 169 fines for breaking the Covid regulations in the past seven days.

People were travelling outside their area to visit beauty spots, a Local Resilience Forum briefing was told.

A group of 11 people had travelled more than 100 miles from Whitby to Manchester to see the Abbey.

Superintendent Mike Walker, North Yorkshire Police lead for the force’s Covid-19 response, said: “Whilst we’ve seen infection rates falling across the region, areas are still subject to fluctuation, rates are not falling quick enough to low enough levels, so we must keep going.”

He added: “That feeling when you lose a loved one is something, myself and colleagues are working hard around the clock to try to prevent as many people as possible from experiencing by encouraging the public to continue to follow the rules by taking enforcement action against those who openly flout the rules.”

Additional reporting: Jacob Webster – Local Democracy Reporter