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14 people are fined for repeatedly trying to leave the country via Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel
11:46, 17 November 2020
updated: 11:51, 17 November 2020
Fourteen people have been fined £200 after repeatedly trying to leave Kent to travel to Europe in breach of the government’s Covid-19 regulations.
Officers at the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel, in Folkestone, issued the fines to people 'blatantly' showing disregard for the new lockdown rules, which ban people from leaving the country without reasonable excuse.
One car carrying eight people in it - from two separate families - was stopped at the port for attempting to travel from London to Bulgaria.
Police at the terminal also spoke to the occupants of three other cars, each containing two people, from Leicester, Birmingham and Thetford.
Officers reminded them all of their responsibilities and encouraged them to adhere to the current guidelines.
But despite the advice, all four cars attempted to leave the country via the Channel Tunnel instead.
They were stopped again by officers and 13 of the occupants were each given a fixed penalty notice of £200.
The driver of the car containing eight people was also given a fixed penalty notice for having no insurance.
In addition, officers at the Channel Tunnel stopped and spoke to a man from London who was trying to travel to France.
He was given advice but then left and attempted to cross at the port shortly afterwards.
As such, he too was issued with a fine.
The incidents all happened between Thursday, November 12 and Sunday, November 15.
In total, over the four day period, officers stopped more than 50 people at both the port and tunnel who were advised to go home.
Some of the people they spoke to were also travelling in groups of more than two and mixing with other households.
Assistant Chief Constable Claire Nix said: "The Government has made it very clear that the best way to support the NHS and save lives is to stay at home and it is our job to ensure people are respecting the measures designed to protect everyone.
"Until December 2, people should only be leaving home for the reasons the Government has listed, which includes - for example - work, exercise, medical appointments, food and caring for vulnerable people.
"Everyone should familiarise themselves with the full list of exemptions and understand what is expected of them at this time.
"It is fair to say that the majority of people in Kent have shown throughout the pandemic that they respect and adhere to the Covid-19 regulations.
"Nevertheless officers have been out and about across the whole county engaging, explaining and encouraging people to comply with restrictions.
"In most situations, we can resolve breaches without having to issue a fine but in cases like these, when people blatantly disregard the advice and refuse to comply, we are left with no choice but to take enforcement action.
"In Kent we will continue to police in a sensible, proportionate and fair manner and ask that everyone continues to take personal responsibility for controlling the spread of the virus and protect themselves from harm."
