Derbyshire police comment on whether you can legally travel for exercise under Covid laws

When the country was placed in lockdown in January in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Government urged people to stay local.

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New guidance published at the start of lockdown said exercise should be limited to once a day and people were warned: “You should not travel outside your local area.”

It has led to widespread confusion around what constitutes ‘local’.

Last month, Derbyshire Constabulary apologised after two women were each fined £200 for travelling five miles from their homes in Leicestershire to walk around Foremark Reservoir together in the south of Derbyshire.

The fines were scrapped following a review by the force.

But despite the Government guidance to stay local, it is not against the law to travel for exercise.

Over the weekend, Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit tweeted that a family had travelled from Lancashire to walk in the Peak District.

Officers came to their aid after they lost the keys to their vehicle on a snowy Snake Pass.

The unit tweeted: “You can travel for exercise.

“The distance travelled is not defined in law but guidelines are you stay local.

“These individuals have put themselves and consequently others at increased risk due to the distance travelled.

“Please think.”

The National Police Chiefs' Council released a statement last month which basically said there is no limit in law on how far people can travel for exercise.

The statement said: “UK Government guidance strongly requests that people do not leave their local area.

“However, the Covid regulations which officers enforce and which enables them to issue fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for breaches, do not restrict the distance travelled for exercise.

“Police officers will be inquisitive about why people are out of their homes and will explain the regulations and encourage people to comply.

“Where people are breaching the regulations and are away from home without a reasonable excuse, they may be issued with a FPN.

“In situations where people are breaching the guidance not to travel out their local area but are not breaching regulations, officers will encourage people to follow the guidance.”

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