April 9, 2020 4.54 pm This story is over 47 months old

Stay away: Police block Lincolnshire roads and tourist hotspots

Stay home. Save lives

‘The coast is closed’, is the message from Lincolnshire Police, who will be conducting extra patrols and stationing themselves on main roads to turn people away from tourism hotspots this Easter weekend.

With temperatures expected to reach record highs over the bank holiday, there are fears that people will flock to the Lincolnshire coast, despite clear instructions to stay at home.

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, Lincolnshire Police will be stationed on main roads and hotspots to turn people back around and issue them with fines.

People in Skegness have also reported that officers have been manning the railway station in Skegness in order to turn away anyone travelling to the town without an essential purpose.

Lincolnshire Police issued the first nine fines in the county due to people ignoring government guidance.

Largely, the fines were handed out to people meeting in groups of more than two.

In Lincoln, concerned locals shared images of a BBQ with at least five people on the street. In addition, a group of around six teens were seen together at the Arboretum off Monks Road.

Tony McGinty, director of public health at Lincolnshire County Council, called on people to stick to social distancing measures this weekend to keep case numbers down.

“If we take our foot off the gas, we will almost certainly see a difference in the numbers,” he said.