It was a very expensive takeaway for four Lancastrians as police hit them with a Covid fine each after failing to accept their excuse for travelling into Greater Manchester.

On Friday evening in Bolton, kind-hearted officers stopped to assist a broken down vehicle on Watergate Lane.

But after some tactical questioning, they found the occupants of the vehicle were actually from Preston, and had allegedly driven to Bolton to 'pick up a takeaway'.

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The four were subsequently issued with Covid fines for breaching lockdown rules.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: "On Friday evening in Bolton, officers stopped to assist a broken down vehicle on Watergate Lane and subsequently four FPN's were issued to the occupants who said they were travelling from Preston to Bolton to pick up a takeaway."

Chief Inspector Carol Martin, of GMP's Covid response team, said: "The majority of people across Greater Manchester are following the Government's guidance - we would like to thank them for doing their bit throughout the pandemic.

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"However, there is a minority who think they are above the law.

"It is incredibly frustrating to those abiding by the rules that some people are showing such a blatant disregard for the current regulations.

"Not only are they putting their own lives and those of their loves ones at stake, they also risk undoing the hard work of everyone else continuing to make the necessary sacrifices at this time.

"We would like to reassure people that dedicated teams of officers are responding to reports of non-compliance and are continuing to follow the national lead by engaging with members of the public, explaining the law and encouraging compliance, but our officers will not hesitate to take enforcement action if people are found to be flouting the rules."

 

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The news comes as hundreds of Covid rule breaches were reported to police across Lancashire, resulting in the issuing of numerous fines.

In Preston, a gym owner was ordered to shut his facility after he was caught allowing members to come and use the equipment.

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In Bacup, four off-road bikers were fined after police caught them using the BMX track for a 'non-essential' journey.

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And several students were reprimanded after driving from Preston to Liverpool, via Sheffield, just for a 'change of scenery'.