Cornwall Police boss warns Gordon Ramsay and other celebs to stay away from second homes in county during Covid lockdown
A CORNWALL police chief has warned celebs like Gordon Ramsey to stay away from second homes during lockdown.
Officials warned stars and second homeowners that they “can’t hide” from cops cracking down on rule-breakers as England was plunged into a third national lockdown this week.
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Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez told stars not to make “unnecessary trips” to Devon and Cornwall.
In the first lockdown, Gordon Ramsay was reported to police for travelling from London to spend time in his £4million Cornwall home.
The chef travelled 246 miles by road in May to his seaside pad before returning to London in a move that sparked outrage among Brits.
His journey came at a time when people could be fined for any non-essential travel.
In a statement today, Commissioner Ms Hernandez said: “This new strain of Covid-19 is spreading much faster and we must do everything we can to protect our residents and the NHS.
“I would particularly like to appeal to celebrities and high profile social media stars.
“By not conducting unnecessary trips to the region you will be setting a fantastic example to the wider public and, in doing so, encouraging more people to stick to the rules.
“I would urge you to lead by example and together we will come through this.
“There will, of course, come a time when Devon and Cornwall can welcome back visitors with open arms, and while that time isn't now, I would urge you all to #ComeBackLater.”
She added: “We know Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are absolutely beautiful and it's totally understandable that people would want to spend time here - our thriving tourism industry is evidence of that.
“However, at a time when stopping the spread of this terrible virus is more important than ever, I must urge people not to make unnecessary journeys to the region.”
The police chief’s warning to stars came as Cornwall registered 320 Covid cases per 100,000 - prompting fears for the region’s NHS facilities.
Authorities in the seaside town of Southwold joined Cornwall in warding off “self-entitled” second homeowners who attempted to doge lockdown by promising tough fines on rule breakers.
Liberal Democrat councillor David Beavan warned “we know the people who are breaking the rules" and said that police are "knocking on their doors".
He said: "You can't hide in a town like Southwold."
Over half the properties in the quiet seaside town are owned by outsiders, with stars including Twiggy, Dame Judi Dench and Michael Palin known to visit the resort.
The dire warnings came as police across England began fining people the first time they were caught not wearing a mask or failing to have a “reasonable excuse” to be outside.
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And Home Secretary Priti Patel supported police in confronting people on park benches, stopping cars to check passengers are from the same household and knocking on doors to hunt for parties.
Ms Patel said police should stop people who are outside to ask them why they are not at home and “explain to them they should not necessarily be out unless it was for key reasons”.