[spidermonkey09]

Similarly, I kind of now fancy going out into the peak to get into an argument with the police. Which is dumb since I'm only fingerboarding to rehab an injured finger at the moment anyway.

 
I have the same response to this as you and Bradders!

[cheque]

Similarly, I kind of now fancy going out into the peak to get into an argument with the police.

[abarro81]

Can't be me, no kneepads in sight

[Will Hunt]

Police state.

[El Mocho]

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the crag:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-55560814

The police force involved, Derbyshire Police, said driving for exercise was "not in the spirit" of lockdown.

The BBC contacted the Cabinet Office, Home Office, College of Policing and National Police Chiefs' Council to ask for clarification over what they define as "local area" in relation to exercise. None could clarify this.

We chatted to 2 random blokes at Stanage yesterday (we were walking dogs having driven up from Hathersage, they were out for a walk). They had driven out separately from Sheffield and 1 had parked at Surprise view car park and been approached by the police there (Derbyshre police). They asked him where he had come from and when he said Sheffield they said he was now in Derbyshire and they could therefore give him a fine. Without going into debate about if surprise view car park is actually in Derbyshire or not (I thought the boundary was the line of the top of Millstone and Lawrencefield so the car park was actually in Sheffield...) the impression we got from him was that the threat of a fine (they didn't give him one) was as he had crossed over into Derbyshire. Sounds like the same situation in the linked story (from Leicestershire to Derbyshire) so I'm not sure if that is part of what they are seeing as the issue?

[tomtom]

Surprised the two women were not just warned and then sent home. Though I guess if you wanted to ‘make an example’ for publicity it’s worked (in a very heavy handed way). I can see why they wanted to go somewhere for a walk and chat together - but that could easily be done closer to home surely?

The cup of tea picnic part of the story is just nuts. Though we only have one side of the story...

[Ru]

They asked him where he had come from and when he said Sheffield they said he was now in Derbyshire and they could therefore give him a fine.

This is arbitrary and unlawful.

[Johnny Brown]

And also factually wrong as the county boundary runs along the road and they were the right side of it!

Very tempted to spend the afternoon at surprise view...

[Davo]

Surprised the two women were not just warned and then sent home. Though I guess if you wanted to ‘make an example’ for publicity it’s worked (in a very heavy handed way). I can see why they wanted to go somewhere for a walk and chat together - but that could easily be done closer to home surely?

The cup of tea picnic part of the story is just nuts. Though we only have one side of the story...

I agree that we have only one side of the story and that I don’t understand why they were not just warned.

However fundamentally this just sucks and is wrong. They were not doing anything vaguely wrong and the police are clearly completely out of order. The idea that surely they could go for a walk closer to home misses the point that the police should not behave like this.

[Bonjoy]

The cup of tea picnic part of the story is just nuts. Though we only have one side of the story...

I hope these ladies pointed out the irony of receiving a fine for defining 5 miles as local, by someone calling mint tea a picnic.

[El Mocho]

And also factually wrong as the county boundary runs along the road and they were the right side of it!

When we told him this it led to the start of a long rant about police, liars etc etc. He then stopped himself short, apologised for his language and told us to enjoy our walk. I'm sure his mate heard the rest of the rant in full!

[Bradders]

Surprised the two women were not just warned and then sent home. Though I guess if you wanted to ‘make an example’ for publicity it’s worked (in a very heavy handed way). I can see why they wanted to go somewhere for a walk and chat together - but that could easily be done closer to home surely?

The cup of tea picnic part of the story is just nuts. Though we only have one side of the story...

Is it a case of any publicity is good? So far I've seen nothing but outrage / condemning the police on this, and personally it makes me more determined to head out climbing tomorrow as I had intended.

Not that I want to have an argument of course! But I'll be taking a copy of the legislation with me.

[tomtom]

In my (as a youth fairly regular) interactions with the police - arguing with them generally gets you nowhere and frequently leads to a worse (for you) situation.

Agree with them, bite your tongue, and do what they say - is the strategy that works best... (then text your friend and go and meet for a mint tea picnic elsewhere).

😁

[A Jooser]

The cup of tea picnic part of the story is just nuts. Though we only have one side of the story...

I hope these ladies pointed out the irony of receiving a fine for defining 5 miles as local, by someone calling mint tea a picnic.

Are you gentlemen suggesting Derbyshire Police might be a few sandwiches short of a picnic?

[galpinos]

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the crag:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-55560814

The police force involved, Derbyshire Police, said driving for exercise was "not in the spirit" of lockdown.

The BBC contacted the Cabinet Office, Home Office, College of Policing and National Police Chiefs' Council to ask for clarification over what they define as "local area" in relation to exercise. None could clarify this.

In this case, they*'d driven from Leicestershire to Derbyshire so maybe that constitutes leaving your "local area"? Regardless, another massive PR cock up for Derbyshire PD.

*Well, at least on of them

[lagerstarfish]

Google maps works reasonably well for showing county borders.
Eg, enter "south Yorkshire" and it shows the border clearly.
Same for post code areas.

Just in case you have to show your reasons for claiming to be local

[Stuart Anderson]

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the crag:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-55560814

The police force involved, Derbyshire Police, said driving for exercise was "not in the spirit" of lockdown.

The BBC contacted the Cabinet Office, Home Office, College of Policing and National Police Chiefs' Council to ask for clarification over what they define as "local area" in relation to exercise. None could clarify this.

Came here to post this. Absolutely disgraceful behaviour.

Particularly concerning that the College of Policing are saying it's up to individual officer's discretion, when they have no legal right to do so given there is nothing in the legislation around travel to exercise.

Derbyshire Police said: "It is up to each individual officer on a case-by-case basis to decide what is reasonable as the legislation does not proscribe a distance."

In fact that's wrong. The legislation doesn't even say you can't travel for exercise, let alone prescribe an allowed distance! It says exercise is a reasonable excuse to be outside your home, simple as that.

You can't fine people or otherwise sanction them for doing things that are "not in the spirit" of the lockdown!!

Crikey that's pushed my buttons 

It also says don't travel unless necessary. So we're back to what's nearest? Surprise View car park or Hillsborough Park.

[36chambers]

Surprised the two women were not just warned and then sent home. Though I guess if you wanted to ‘make an example’ for publicity it’s worked (in a very heavy handed way). I can see why they wanted to go somewhere for a walk and chat together - but that could easily be done closer to home surely?

The cup of tea picnic part of the story is just nuts. Though we only have one side of the story...

Is it a case of any publicity is good? So far I've seen nothing but outrage / condemning the police on this, and personally it makes me more determined to head out climbing tomorrow as I had intended.

If your local is anything like mine, you'll likely have more issue with the snow than with the police.

[teestub]

Be interesting to see if anyone actually gets stopped by the police trying to go climbing and what sort of response they get.

Hoping N Yorks are a bit more charitably that the Derbyshire lot!

[SamT]

I'm from the Hope Valley originally and have a lot of friends and family that still live out there.  There is now a growing amount of Pitchfork wielding happening on Facebook.   The intolerance kind of pumps my nads a bit, but I can also see both sides of the coin.  It has been truly mental out in the peak this year and I can imagine locals have just had enough, and now they have the excuse of a proper lockdown, perhaps the local plod are attempting to reduce the number of 'townies' coming out with a few public shows of authority.

Derbyshire/The Peak does suffer from being bounded on all sides by huge conurbations.

Never new that S11 runs all the way out to toadsmouth/fox house and burgage bridges, so the police are going to get a hard time from me if I get stopped at Burgage North!.

Still think we as a collective group should keep a low profile.  Big teams on Westside and Remergence for example. are going to attract unwanted attention.

[Bonjoy]

I expect a lot (e.g. public mood and police position) will become clearer tomorrow, given the sunny forecast. I can see the stay local edict and the arbitrary county/postcode boundary thing leading to eye-catching numbers at Burbage. Followed by sensationalist 'Covidiot' headlines next week.

[spidermonkey09]

I'm from the Hope Valley originally and have a lot of friends and family that still live out there.  There is now a growing amount of Pitchfork wielding happening on Facebook.   The intolerance kind of pumps my nads a bit, but I can also see both sides of the coin.  It has been truly mental out in the peak this year and I can imagine locals have just had enough, and now they have the excuse of a proper lockdown, perhaps the local plod are attempting to reduce the number of 'townies' coming out with a few public shows of authority.

Derbyshire/The Peak does suffer from being bounded on all sides by huge conurbations.

Never new that S11 runs all the way out to toadsmouth/fox house and burgage bridges, so the police are going to get a hard time from me if I get stopped at Burgage North!.

Still think we as a collective group should keep a low profile.  Big teams on Westside and Remergence for example. are going to attract unwanted attention.

I agree entirely with your last sentence. Haven't got any time for nimbyism though. An awful lot of people who live in rural areas would love an excuse to stop 'outsiders' ever coming back and lockdown provides that; loads of stories of footpaths shut unliterally and cyclists being abused last time.

The Peak Effect this year has been interesting I agree. To me it has been a combination of closed pubs/other facilities which would have taken the strain off, but also speaks to a massive population of people who want access to the outdoors. The locals are going to have to get used to it.

[Bradders]

The cup of tea picnic part of the story is just nuts. Though we only have one side of the story...

I hope these ladies pointed out the irony of receiving a fine for defining 5 miles as local, by someone calling mint tea a picnic.

Are you gentlemen suggesting Derbyshire Police might be a few sandwiches short of a picnic?

It takes the biscuit doesn't it.

[SamT]

Yeah - I'm dropping some stuff off to my shielding mum tomorrow and it'll be interesting to see how mental burbage/fox house is.  (it depresses me each time I drive out, seems to just get worse and worse and as lovejoy says, the forecast tomorrow is only going to compound things).  I'll be choosing somewhere esoteric if I do elect to take some exercise tomorrow and will certainly not be contributing to the issues at burbage/fox house.

I really have to bite my lip with some of the posts on facebook. It does no good to point out to them that its not 'their' countryside etc.   

I think 'more folks wanting to access the outdoors' is more a by-product of all the normal haunts being closed.  When you think all gyms, pubs, restaurants, shops, cinemas, meadowhall, football matches, rugby matches, ice hockey, basket ball etc etc etc are all shut.  There's been feck all else for folks to do.  Just football alone must account for hundreds of thousands of extra folks twiddling their thumbs of a Saturday.

[Bonjoy]

The Peak Effect this year has been interesting I agree. To me it has been a combination of closed pubs/other facilities which would have taken the strain off, but also speaks to a massive population of people who want access to the outdoors. The locals are going to have to get used to it.

The resentment and entitlement expressed by a vocal portion of Peak residents has been one of the ugliest spectacles in a year full of ugly spectacles. Living in a National Park is not a recipe for glorious isolation, the clue's in the name  .