Coronavirus UK: Police use number plate technology to track Lockdown Flouters

Seaside visitors fined as the vast majority of Britons observe lockdown

BRIGHTON was a particular hotspot, with Sussex Police issuing more than 100 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to people from outside the county for breaching coronavirus travel restrictions.

A couple from St Albans, Hertfordshire, who made a 150-mile round trip for a stroll on the beach at Camber received a hefty fine when the number tracking technology revealed their place of residence.

All of the penalties in Brighton on Easter Sunday were given to people visiting from other cities – while the vast majority of residents complied with government advice and stayed at home.

The force issued a further four fines to people travelling to Camber, on the East Sussex coastline, including a couple from St Albans, Herts, who made a 150-mile round trip for a stroll on the beach. Officers also rapped a motorcyclist who rode to the beach from Bexley, south-east London.

Meanwhile, police in Plymouth, Devon, on Monday issued fines to three members of the same family after they travelled from the capital for a ‘holiday’ to see a cousin.

The family were followed by a police escort to the A38 after being given a ‘strong’ talking to, the city’s D Section Response emergency unit said. Officers patrolled routes using ANPR number plate recognition technology to track motorists from out of town.