'This is not a holiday': Police order sunbathers to go home during UK coronavirus lockdown

Adam Payne,Adam Payne

Mar 25, 2020, 21:09 IST

'This is not a holiday': Police order sunbathers to go home during UK coronavirus lockdown

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25 March 2020, England, London: A man sunbathes in Regents Park on the second day of a nationwide lockdown. Photo: Oliver Weiken/dpa (Photo by Oliver Weiken/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Footage shows the UK's Metropolitan Police dispersing sunbathers from a west London park as the UK coronavirus lockdown begins.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a national lockdown on Monday evening.
Under the rules, Brits can only leave their homes for a limited number of essential activities and must not gather in groups.
One officer is filmed telling sunbathers: "This is not a holiday, it's a lockdown."
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UK Police have been filmed dispersing sunbathers from a London park after they continued to ignore the new national UK coronavirus lockdown, imposed on Monday.

Footage recorded by the Metropolitan Police shows the officers telling people sitting in Shepherds Bush Green, west London, that "this is not a holiday, it's a lockdown," as they order them to leave the area.

Johnson on Monday imposed a national lockdown on the UK, ordering all Brits to leave their homes only for essential reasons.

"It's not a holiday, it's a lockdown, which means you don't just come here and sunbathe. Can you please just leave," one officer is filmed telling the sunbathers.

He adds: "The government has a lockdown in force, can you please get off the green, go home."

Under emergency legislation due to be passed by the UK Parliament on Wednesday, officers will be able to impose fines on anyone disregarding the lockdown.

The fines will begin at £30 and rise to £1,000 for repeat offenders.