Police thank public for staying at home during warm weather

Police across the UK have thanked the public for staying at home and away from beauty spots on Good Friday, amid fears that a warm start to the weekend could see lockdown rules broken.

By Iain Lynn

Published 10th Apr 2020, 18:07 BST

Updated 10th Apr 2020, 18:10 BST

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Patrols have been ramped up country-wide as councils warned that anyone embarking on an Easter getaway could expect to be turned away by police.

Visuals from location technology firm TomTom showed traffic in London, Manchester and Birmingham was significantly down on Thursday compared with the equivalent day in 2019.

This suggests most people are following the Government's coronavirus lockdown instruction not to visit tourist hotspots this weekend.

The road unit of Lancashire Police said at lunchtime on Friday there had been a "noticeable increase" in traffic on the county's roads.

They also reported stopping a driver who had travelled more than 20 miles to Lytham, a resort south of Blackpool, to "buy Easter eggs".

Police Lytham Government London Birmingham Manchester Blackpool