North Yorkshire Police have issued 500 fines to people for flouting the coronavirus restrictions – including 108 in York.
And while most of the fines in the rural areas of the county have been issued to visitors, most of those handed out in York were to residents. Altogether 89 of the 108 fines were to people in the city.
The figures, published up to Monday 27 April, show the force had issued 495 fines at 275 separate incidents, but since Monday this number is on track to pass the 500 mark.
Of those 495 who were fined, more than half (269) were visitors from outside the county including 149 from West Yorkshire, 30 from Cleveland, 10 from London and the rest from South Yorkshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Lancashire and Durham.
Life and death decision
Breakdown of figures as at 27 April 2020
| Local Authority Area where Notice Issued | Notices Issued | Visitors |
|---|---|---|
| Craven | 122 | 121 |
| Hambleton | 52 | 35 |
| Harrogate | 42 | 26 |
| Richmond | 20 | 12 |
| Ryedale | 5 | 4 |
| Scarborough | 104 | 30 |
| Selby | 42 | 22 |
| York | 108 | 19 |
Police have once again thanked the vast majority of people who are staying at home.
But ahead of the weekend, officers are asking people not be complacent and to remember those 26,000 who have died by sticking to the Government guidelines and staying at home.
Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker said “there is still a small minority who are flouting the rules.
| Age groups | |
|---|---|
| 18 – 25 | 203 |
| 26 – 35 | 154 |
| 36 – 45 | 81 |
| 46 – 55 | 35 |
| 56 – 65 | 14 |
| 66 and over | 8 |
“As we’ve said before, please remember why we have to do this, it’s not about finding loopholes to excuse non-essential travel, or meet up with friends, it’s literally the difference between life and death.
“We know North Yorkshire is a nice place and we understand why you want to visit.
“We will welcome you back with open arms when this is all over, but for now, please ignore the temptation, continue the good work that has already been done, we know it’s hard for many people, but please, for now, continue to stay at home and help save lives.”
Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire Julia Mulligan: “I fully back the way our frontline police officers and staff are dealing with those who are flouting the rules, and pay tribute to them for their selfless work doing so. Let’s support them, stay home and save lives.”