Scarborough borough received more than half of all Covid fines issued in North Yorkshire

More than half of the fines issued for breaching coronavirus restrictions in relation to indoor gatherings have been in the Scarborough borough.

Yesterday North Yorkshire Police revealed the number of fixed penalty notices that were issued between December 2 2020 and January 5 2021 across the county.

In total, 355 were handed out in North Yorkshire - with 149 to residents in Scarborough and 32 to individuals who visited the area for an illegal gathering.

It was revealed that of the 334 total fines for indoor gatherings across North Yorkshire, 51 per cent of those (171) were issued in the Scarborough borough.

On Saturday, police raided a house party in Scarborough which resulted in 16 people being fined for breaching coronavirus restrictions, in total £3,200 worth of fines were handed out.

A total of 181 fines were handed out in Scarborough borough during the festive period, this is in addition to the majority of fines handed out by North Yorkshire Police in November being on the Yorkshire Coast.The number of fixed penalty notices issued across North Yorkshire is broken down as follows:

- 194 to local residents

- 161 to visitors

- 9 for outdoor gatherings

- 334 for indoor gatherings

Speaking about the number of FPNs issued in Scarborough for breaches of the indoor gathering rules, Chief Inspector Rachel Wood said:

“While the majority of Scarborough residents have followed the guidance and understood the rules around social gatherings, unfortunately the figures show that there was a minority of people who chose to openly flout the rules and host and attend house parties.

“Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams attended a number of incidents over the festive season and had to take enforcement action, as sadly some people did not disperse and go home when instructed.

“I cannot stress enough how serious our current situation is. As a nation we have moved into new national restrictions and we are being told to once again stay home to save lives and protect our health service.

"We are seeing infection rates rise and the impact of the virus and the new more transmissible strain is really being felt by our hospitals and healthcare colleagues. People are losing their loved ones to this virus every day.

“So I am urging Scarborough residents to stick to the rules, especially as we approach the first weekend of the new national restrictions. Stay home and only leave if it is for an essential reason such as shopping or medical assistance.

"People are not permitted to gather indoor or outdoors socially and you should not be meeting anyone outside your own household or support bubble.

“Our local patrol plans have been revised and we have increased our presence and visibility in our local communities, so members of the public will see officers on the roads and patrolling our local areas.

"We will take enforcement action against those who are breaking the rules and putting the wider community at risk from this deadly virus. So please stay home and stay safe.”