SEVEN sets of parents were fined after their children flouted social distancing guidelines to meet up with friends over the weekend.

The children, aged between 15 and 17, were taken home by officers after they refused to follow officers' advice.

These fines were just some of 45 to be issued in Sussex on Saturday alone, with others being given to day-trippers who made a beeline for beauty spots such as Birling Gap and Seven Sisters, as well as Brighton and Hove, because they were "bored" during the UK lockdown.

Others listed excuses such as attending birthday parties for their misdemeanours.

While Sussex Police thanked the "vast majority" of Sussex residents for following social distancing guidelines over the weekend, the force offered a warning to those who still saw fit to flout the regulations.

Chief Superintendent Jane Derrick said: "Perhaps now more than ever, we need people to take personal responsibility to help slow the spread of this deadly disease. They need to take socially distance seriously, stay local and avoid places that are popular such as coasts, beauty spots or popular countryside walks to minimise the number of people they may meet.

"Our policing approach during the lockdown has not changed. We are still in communities patrolling, we are still talking to the public and explaining the guidance and legislation, but we will take enforcement action when it is absolutely necessary to do so.

"We are working 24/7 preventing and solving crime and the online demand in our Contact Centre has escalated, driven by the public reporting breaches of the current measures.

"We can only save the unnecessary loss of lives by taking personal responsibility for our actions and supporting one another over the coming days, weeks and months."

  • The coronavirus Sussex Crisis Fund has been set up to help those affected by the pandemic. The Argus’s charity and American Express have each donated £50,000 to kick-start the appeal. Grants will usually be for up to £5,000. More information is available at www.sussexgiving. org.uk/apply. To donate visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/sussexcrisisfund