Stratford police say no rise in out-of-town visitors

Stratford police were adamant this week that the town was not experiencing a significant rise in out-of-town visitors despite worries continuing to be expressed by local people on social media.

The force said it received one report about the number of people coming in to Stratford to go for a walk.

Inspector Ben Hembry, head of the Stratford District Safer Neighbourhood Teams, said: “We are aware of isolated incidents where people have come into Stratford from outside without a reasonable excuse and where this happens we will take appropriate action.

“We maintain a high police presence in the town as part of our effort to tackle the spread of the Covid. We are committed to engaging with the public to explain the dangers posed by the virus and encourage them to comply with legislation. Where there are deliberate and obvious breaches we will not hesitate to use enforcement.

“I’d like to thank the majority of people who continue to follow the rules and are doing their bit to prevent the spread of the virus.”

Last weekend in Warwickshire police issued fines to 45 people for breaching Covid regulations. These were mainly in Leamington and north Warwickshire.

ACC Alex Franklin Smith from Warwickshire police said: “While we all look forward to a return towards normality, it is still clear that there is still a long way to go and that the virus still presents a significant risk.

“We must all continue to play our part in reducing the spread of the virus to ensure the steps out of the current predicament are truly effective. Thank you to all those who continue to follow the rules and take responsibility for tackling this virus. Please be assured that we continue to take breaches of the regulations extremely seriously due to the risks involved.”