Just How Long Are People Going To Put Up With This?

[New Judge]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55771996

People who queued for two hours after driving 20 miles to get milk from a farm's vending machine have been fined for breaching lockdown rules.

“All of Wales remains under level four "stay at home" lockdown rules, with people only allowed to travel for essential reasons, which include buying food.

Welsh Government guidance on the rules say there are "no limits on how far" people can travel to shop for essential items,…”

I haven't fully digested the Welsh legislation but from the above passage it seems, once again, police are issuing fixed penalties when no law has been broken.

[woofgang]

Apparently that's not the whole of the story. Covid distancing and behaviour rules were also broken.

[sherrardk]

Did you read the article? Most of the time the police just had a word but “Last Friday, about 30 people from Rhyl came up in cars at about 23:00 GMT and he issued them with fines."

[webbo3]

Theres loads of places in Rhyl to get a pint or two of milk.

[Buenchico]

Surely it's not just the distance alone that's involved anyway. The relevant Regulations (both in England and Wales) state that "During the emergency period, no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse". The Regulations also include a non-exhaustive list of what can constitute 'a reasonable excuse' but in circumstances which are not covered by those specific exemptions it will be up to the police initially, and then the courts if fixed penalties are challenged, to determine what does, or does not, constitute 'a reasonable excuse'.

Obtaining food from a local takeaway outlet, for example, would seem to fall within the definition of 'a reasonable excuse' but it seems understandable to me that the Old Bill don't regard driving very long distances to get to a branch of McDonald's as providing 'a reasonable excuse' for leaving home.
( https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/ChatterBank/Question1736739.html )
i.e. an offence is committed the moment someone leaves their home, rather than when they get to their destination, if they leave without a reasonable excuse.

Similarly, nipping down to your local corner shop for a pint of milk, or possibly driving 5 miles to the nearest supermarket for a 'big shop' that includes one, is almost certainly a reasonable excuse for leaving home but (unless you live in a really rural location, with no local shops or supermarkets) leaving home with the intention of driving 20 miles to collect some milk isn't. (i.e. if a person so doing is stopped only 100 yards from their house, and admits that they're setting out on such a journey, they've ALREADY committed an offence through leaving their home without reasonable excuse).

[Canary42]

All praise to the police - it's good to see someone taking the pandemic threat seriously instead of pandering to the super-spreaders (enemy agents, basically).

[Atheist]

Enemy agents isn't far wrong. Russia and others are very active at undermining other nations' morale and wellbeing. Their unwitting stooges pass on the seeds that they sow. Father forgive them for they know not what they do.

[Mamyalynne]

Some seem to be going out of their way to push the limits to the extreme, I cannot think that so many of those travelling distances couldn't find milk closer to home.

[gulliver1]

Driving 20 miles for milk , Cobblers, they were taking the sipp . Lock em up. Charge them with breaking covid regulations, adding to global warming , and wasting police time. Idiots.

[ToraToraTora]

judge, are these fines contestable? I mean you can plead not guilty right??

[sunny-dave]

"Last Friday, about 30 people from Rhyl came up in cars at about 23:00 GMT "

If they were just buying milk then I'm a ... (insert appropriate racial stereotype)

[tomus42]

The problem is that the law seems to be vague and changes from week to week, so it's left to different police to interpret as best they can. Some of them seem to be over zealous.

Having said that, if you've driven 20 miles to queue 2 hours to get milk under the the current conditions, you're a bit of a tw@.

[fcc]

Just maybe that the milk they travelled to the farm for was a better
quality than your bottle of milk from the corner shop.

[Paigntonian]

The yarn just doesn't ring true.

[webbo3]

I suspect the 30 people were heading for a party or a rave.

[david small]

Authorities have the inalienable right to breakdown your door, burst into your lounge and blow their noses on your curtains. So I was told by a man in a high vis coat.

[Sunk]

Covid-19 is unlike any virus we have encountered before.
It is mutating all the time and this Welsh variant has become sentient. It is able to tell whether its victims have driven 5 miles to Tesco, or 20 miles to the farm shop. The extra 10 minutes on their own in the car means the virus has a far greater chance of killing them, and the 10 minute drive home means they infect all of North Wales.
Obviously sheep rustling is occupying N. Wales Police 24/7, so well done them for finding the time to stop this farm selling potentially tainted milk to its customers.

[Stickybottle]

Seems like the rising death figures are insignificant while the civil liberties of a few are a major cause for concern for some on here.
How very sad

[Mozz71]

Who actually drives 20 miles for some milk? Go to the local store like normal people. Nobloody sympathy for these people.

[Mamyalynne]

Another thing the virus has done, it has managed to make many people dropkick their common sense over the crossbar in order to outwit anything remotely sensible.

That includes having sane discussions.

[Sunk]

Farm shops are very popular, and people who shop there presume they are getting better, fresher, more natural produce.
The farm installed a vending machine so people can buy from them 24/7. So selling milk at 11pm when the farm is shut is not entirely unexpected.
Everyone seems to agree that nobody was breaking any law, other than not being able to judge a 2 metre space. You estimate a couple of inches wrong and you get an hefty fine.
Crimes have fallen hugely over the last 10 months, there is no Police overtime and they are bored. So they are making up crimes and inventing work for themselves.