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Coronavirus Kent: London family sent home after travelling to Joss Bay in Broadstairs, breaching lockdown rules

16:34, 10 April 2020

updated: 16:59, 10 April 2020

A family who travelled from London to spend the day on the beach in Kent have been sent home.

Police spotted the group sitting on the sand at Joss Bay in Broadstairs at about 2pm.

The family were spotted on Joss Bay in Broadstairs. Picture: Kent Police Thanet
The family were spotted on Joss Bay in Broadstairs. Picture: Kent Police Thanet

Officers escorted them back onto the London-bound A28 and say they will continue to monitor Thanet's beaches throughout the Bank Holiday weekend.

People are being warned to stay at home and continue adhering to Covid-19 social distancing measures as temperatures soar.

It is not known if the family were fined, but police tweeted to say they were spoken to.

They said: "After our brief interaction they got back in their car and they were escorted onto the A28 back to London.

"Rest assured we will continue to monitor the beaches for gatherings all through the weekend."

It comes after Kent's chief constable Alan Pughsley warned people to stay on lockdown over the Bank Holiday, as six fines were handed out over the past week to people who continued to flout the rules.

He said: "I'm very pleased with the figure in one way, it shows most of the public are complying with my officer's directions.

"But I'm disappointed that we had to impose any fines - somebody was sunbathing and was told not to but he carried on sunbathing, which I think is appalling.

"Others have been stopped in cars with friends who they don't live with, it was the second and third time we had reported them."

"The vast majority have responded brilliantly to the guidelines.

"Those who haven't have been met by my officers in the policing spirit that we promised we would do.

"We've engaged, we've explained and we've encouraged the error of their ways and the vast majority have complied.

"The small majority we have had to move to enforcement activity.

"If we have to we will move to enforcement again."

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