Cops fine woman £800 for having no good reason to be at train station and man £60 for driving 100 miles to see lover
A WOMAN who loitered at a train station and a man who drove 100 miles to see his girlfriend are among Brits fined for flouting the UK's coronavirus lockdown.
Marie Dinou, 41, from York, was fined £800 for "loitering between platforms" at Central Station on Saturday.
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She became the first person arrested at a railway station for breaching Britain's Covid-19 new regulations.
It comes as Britain's virus death toll hits 2,329 and infection rates soared to almost 30,000 today.
Dinou couldn't justify her train travel and would not explain to police why she needed to travel.
She refused to give her name, and was arrested on suspicion of breaking restrictions imposed under the Coronavirus Act 2020.
Dinou appeared at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court on Monday and was fined £660 for breaching the pandemic rules, a member of court staff said.
She was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66, and costs of £85.
Meanwhile, a man and his three pals who drove from Essex were fined £60 each after being stopped on Taunton Road, Bridgwater shortly before midnight on March 27.
It is unclear whose girlfriend they were going to visit on the 200-mile round trip during the UK's lockdown.
Avon and Somerset Police Chief Constable Andy Marsh revealed six of his officers were bitten, spat at or had someone cough in their face as they enforced the new pandemic rules this weekend.
During a Facebook Live chat, he said: “We’ve only issued 23 fixed penalty notices.
“None of them were in grey areas. One was for someone who’d driven over 100 miles to visit his girlfriend.
“[In another case] four people who weren’t in the same household were out in a car. They refused to go home."
He said most fines were for people who "are refusing to take sensible advice".
BTP Assistant Chief Constable Sean O'Callaghan said: "While a ticket offence had also been committed in this case, enforcement of any sort under the new regulations really is a last resort, especially arrest.
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"In this case, officers tried their upmost best to engage with Dinou. I can assure you we would much rather not have to take such action.
"We strongly urge the public to do the right thing and help us save lives by staying at home and slowing the spread of the virus."
Anyone who flouts the new crackdown will face fines of up to £1,000 or even arrest.