Police issue 442 lockdown warnings including fines for motorist visiting Peterlee from London and two men travelling from Rotherham to buy a dog

Cleveland Police have given 442 warnings to people in the past few weeks and issued 119 fixed penalty notices after warnings were ignored.

Among the fixed penalty notices issued was a car stopped on the A19 with the driver travelling from London to Peterlee with no reasonable excuse, and two men travelling from Rotherham to Saltburn-by-the-Sea on April 9 to buy a dog.

A five people from different addresses were fined for attending a house party in Middlesbrough.

Senior officers are thanking the majority of local communities for abiding by the Coronavirus restrictions.

Chief Constable Richard Lewis said: “We’ve been supporting over half a million people in the Cleveland area to do the right thing and help save lives.

“I would like to thank the vast majority of residents for working with us as we use this new guidance and legislation.

“Mostly our engagements with people have ended positively, but in a small minority of cases we have had to issue fixed penalty notices.

“Officers have interacted with hundreds of people to explain why the Coronavirus regulations are important, before any enforcement action is taken.

“We are all having to get used to new ways of living and working, and I’m proud of my officers and staff for being on the frontline in the midst of this crisis and uncertainty, having to adapt to new legislation that is less than three weeks old.”