Bikers fined for riding 200 miles for fish and chips

TWO motorcyclists from Rochdale have been fined under the Coronavirus act for breaking the government's lockdown restrictions on non-essential travel.

The pair, riding a Yamaha MT-07 and an XSR700, had set off from Rochdale in Greater Manchester with a view to reaching the coastal town of Whitby on the east coast of England.

With a total distance of over 200 miles to cover, should riders have been hitting the road in these more restrictive times, you’d have assumed they would have had a very good reason. In fact, the pair had nipped to Whitby to sample some of the harbour towns famous fish and chips.

Taking to social media to advise of the situation, Whitby Town Police said:

“Whilst Whitby would usually welcome visitors to sample our finest fish and chips, due to the current climate this does not constitute reasonable travel. Today Whitby Neighbourhood Policing Team was patrolling the A169 and stopped two motorcyclists who had travelled from Rochdale purely for fish and chips. Both were sent home and issued fines for breaching co-vid19 guidelines. Unfortunately for those motorcyclists, we were in the right ‘plaice’ at the right time. We will continue to strive to keep our community safe.”

The possible route the riders could have taken

So far in the UK, more than 10,000 fines have been issued to people breaching COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, with around 200,000 Coronavirus-related incidents being reported since the restrictions came into place. Under the Health Protection Regulations, people can be handed £60 fines for being outside without “reasonable excuse” or gathering in groups of more than two. The amount is reduced to £30 if paid quickly, but can be doubled for repeat offences up to a maximum of £960.

For information on how to stay safe during COVID-19, please head to: gov.uk/coronavirus