Yahoo Finance Woman fined after travelling to Wales to see horse during lockdown
A woman has been fined after driving from Leicester to Wales to see a horse.
Police stopped the animal lover in Ceredigion while carrying out routine checks on Sunday.
When officers asked her why she had broken Welsh "firebreak" lockdown restrictions she told them she was visiting a horse.
The Ceredigion Roads Policing Unit fined the woman an undisclosed amount after her 320-mile round journey was deemed to be non-essential.
The force said: "The horse is safe and well, so no need for breaching, reported."
Watch: Wales says two households can form bubble when lockdown ends
The Ceredigion Roads Policing Unit had set up a checkpoint to catch anyone breaking rules when they came across the woman.
Superintendent Craig Templeton said: “Throughout the firebreak, officers have been conducting high visibility patrols across the four counties of Dyfed-Powys.
“These have included daily road checks in key areas, which allow officers to engage with motorists and ensure that Welsh Government regulations regarding essential travel are understood and being followed.
“We have been pleased that the majority of people are adhering to the rules and appreciate these checks are part of helping keep our communities safe.
“Where people have been found making unnecessary journeys, officers have explained the current limitations and encouraged people to return home.”
Superintendent Templeton added: “Enforcement – through the issue of fixed penalty notices or FPNs – remains only a method of last resort when drivers are determined to flout the rules.
“We would like to thank everyone who has worked with us to help keep Wales safe, and remind everyone that travel restrictions remain in place until November 9.”
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price has said the Welsh Government should consider a two-week “buffer period” when the firebreak lockdown ends on 9 November.
He called for a slower approach to lifting the restrictions, such as closing hospitality at 6pm, rather than an immediate easing of them at the end of the 17-day period.
Ministers have said the impact of the firebreak, which began on 23 October, will not be known until after its conclusion.
From Wednesday night the whole of England will be put under a second national lockdown.
Watch: Can you catch the coronavirus twice?
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