London couple rescued from mud and given Covid fines in Kent

A couple who had travelled 37 miles from London to go for a walk in Kent had to be rescued by emergency services after getting stuck in mud.

The pair, who had journeyed all the way to Sheerness over the weekend, were then issued with fines for breaching coronavirus regulations.

Kent Police said over a 100 fines were issued for breaches across the weekend, including the far-from-home couple.

Officers said they were called to Jetty Road in Sheerness, north Kent, at 2pm on Sunday, February 28 following reports of concern for a couple.

Emergency services were called and found the pair stuck in mud.

They were rescued, and officers found out that the woman, 23, and man, 30, had travelled from their home in London to go for a walk. Both were issued with fines.

A total of 107 fines were issued between Friday, February 26 and Monday, March 1, bringing the total in the county since March 2020 to 2,165.

Other fines included a woman hiring out off-road bikes in Ashford, and a convoy of cars travelling to a beach in Brenzett.

Assistant Chief Constable Claire Nix said: ‘Whilst a roadmap out of lockdown has been announced we are not yet at the stage where it has been lifted and to achieve the final goal of some normality by 21 June it is important that everyone plays their part and continues to follow the rules.

"This means for the time being, no mixing between households, no parties, refraining from non-essential travel and staying local.

"With new variants of Coronavirus being detected it is crucial that we continue to adhere to the regulations so we can come out the other side of lockdown without unnecessary loss of life."

She continued: "Whilst it is encouraging that the infection and death rate is falling, people are still getting ill and sadly losing their lives. So please do the right thing as by following the regulations, you are protecting some of the most vulnerable in our community.

"We are all looking forward to the end of restrictions, but we are not quite there yet. I would ask people to think carefully about each journey they make and the actions they take as, if we all play our part, we can enjoy the summer with our family and friends that we all looking forward to."