Sussex lockdown fines: county has fourth highest in England

Between March 27 and June 22, police issued 854 fines for breaches of the lockdown rules in the county.

This puts Sussex fourth in the list for the number of fines issued across the country.

Police in North Yorkshire recorded the most fines, with 1,122, followed by the Metropolitan Police in London with 1,072 fines, and police in Devon and Cornwall, where 978 fines were recorded.

The total number of fines issued across the country was 15,856, compared with 2,583 in Wales during the same time period.

On April 4, a couple were fined for having a barbecue on Brighton beach, and officers put out the barbecue with seawater after the pair allegedly refused to leave the area when asked.

A couple were fined in April for having a barbecue on Brighton beach

On May 2, The Argus reported how 45 people had been slapped with fines for disregarding Government advice and travelling to coastal spots including Birling Gap, Seven Sisters, Camber Sands and Brighton.

About half of the fines were given to people who said "they were bored and fancied a day at the beach", Sussex Police said.

Later in May, more motorists trying to travel into Brighton were fined by police, who were stopping drivers at the end of the A23 into Patcham.

Police stopped motorists trying to travel to Brighton in May

Prime Minister Boris Johnson first relaxed some of the lockdown rules on May 13, when new guidance was issued for some workers to return to work, if they were unable to work from home.

On June 23, more changes to lockdown measures were announced which will apply from next Saturday, July 4.

People will be able to meet in groups of up to two households in any location, indoors or outdoors. 

It will also be lawful to stay overnight with members of just one other household.

Businesses and venues, including restaurants, pubs, cinemas, visitor attractions, hotels, and campsites will be able to open, with safety measures in place.

However, it will be against the law to gather in groups larger than 30 people, except for a "limited set of circumstances to be set out in law".

People should also not gather indoors in groups of more than two households, which includes when dining out at a restaurant or at a pub.

Official guidance says people should also not gather outdoors in a group of more than six people from different households.

Gatherings with more than six people should only take place if everyone is from just two households.