Police fine double parkers in North York Moors and drunken cliff climber in Scarborough

With restrictions on travelling for exercise relaxed slightly, many people gathered in large groups to enjoy the warm weather despite Yorkshire's two National Parks and its seaside towns discouraging visitors.

The force fined 52 people for breaching coronavirus regulations and over 30 drivers and bikers for traffic offences, mainly speeding.

Police were forced to close a road near Cod Beck Reservoir in Osmotherley in the North York Moors National Park on Bank Holiday Monday after 50 cars, mostly from the Teesside area, arrived at the spot and blocked the highway by parking inconsiderately.

The reservoir's car park, which is managed by Yorkshire Water, has remained closed to deter visitors.

The double-parked cars were preventing access for emergency services and 30 of their owners were issued with penalty notices.

There were 39 fines issued in Scarborough, where police found groups who had gathered to drink alcohol outdoors. Thirty-five of the 52 fines handed out over the weekend were for breaching rules on gatherings, with only 13 for contravening restrictions on travel. Twenty-three of the offenders live locally.

Breaches included overnight stays in motorhomes, door-to-door selling, and an incident in which a man who had been drinking became stuck on a cliff near Scarborough Castle.

The Coastguard and fire service had to be called out to rescue him after he climbed up the hill while drinking with friends. He was unhurt.

Police also arrested two men, aged 30 and 29, after around 100 youths were seen partying and taking drugs at Richmond Falls on the River Swale, but have not yet released a further update on the incident or information on any fixed penalty notices handed out at the scene.

A further illegal gathering saw around 50 people gather to drink at Thomason Foss waterfalls near Goathland in the North York Moors National Park. Despite leaving a large quantity of litter behind, they were spoken to by National Park rangers and police are not thought to have attended. The disabled toilets inside the village's community hub were broken into and there were reports of visitors defecating in gardens, the churchyard and a bus stop.

Superintendent Charlotte Bloxham, silver commander for the police response to Covid-19, said: “As the weather gets better and we now have more freedom to leave our homes and visit our favourite beauty spots, we urge people to remember that we are not yet out of the woods in terms of the spread of the virus. People can still catch it, including your children, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. We will continue to engage and explain the current regulations, and encourage you to follow them, but as this weekend has shown, we are not afraid to use the legislation if we have to.

“We ask that visitors respect local communities, have an alternative plan and move on if their favourite place is busy, especially if car parks are full.

“And importantly, please don’t take any unnecessary risks and put yourself, or anyone else in danger.”

Chair of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, Richard Flinton, added: “Please think ahead to reduce the spread of Covid-19. If somewhere is busy and crowded – even if it’s outside you would be much better off finding somewhere else with less people and a space to park. If a car park is full then just go somewhere else. It’s really that simple. There’s plenty of space in North Yorkshire - use it thoughtfully and respect local communities by planning ahead and taking your rubbish home.”