A motorist who travelled 20 miles to eat a kebab at Cheddar Gorge has been fined £200 for breaching the third Covid-19 lockdown rules.
Avon and Somerset Police said the driver from Bristol was one of several people ordered to leave the beauty spot. Seven were given fines for leaving their homes with no reasonable excuse on Saturday.
Officers were said to be in “total disbelief” after catching one visitor sitting in their car enjoying a kebab in a layby at the historic National Trust site near the village of Cheddar Gorge, Somerset.
The force tweeted: “Travelling from Bristol to Cheddar to sit and eat kebabs in your vehicle is not a reasonable excuse! #staysafe.”
Under the current national rules, people are urged to stay indoors to protect the NHS and save lives.
Outdoor exercise is a reasonable excuse to leave home listed by the government but this should be done locally wherever possible.
Police have been advised to give flouters a verbal warning before issuing a £200 fine.
An Avon and Somerset force spokesman said: “Police patrolling in Cheddar on Saturday engaged with a number of people who were sitting in parked cars in Cheddar Gorge.
“Officers took the decision to issue fixed penalty notices to seven individuals whom they determined were not local to the area, were not members of the same household, and did not have a valid reason for their journey under the current COVID-19 regulations.
“We would ask that people follow the regulations, only travel when it is essential and take exercise locally to their home address, in order to save lives and protect the NHS.”
More than 50 tourists were stopped by police in the Cotswolds, with a number of people who had travelled from Bristol and Wales being told to leave.
Derbyshire Police attracted criticism for issuing two women with £200 fines after they drove separately to go for a walk at a remote beauty spot around five miles from their homes.
