People should shout “oi” and apply “moral pressure” to anyone blatantly breaching the coronavirus lockdown, the leader of North Somerset Council has said.
Don Davies said the message is out and tourists are not coming to Weston-super-Mare, but a growing number of people are still out and about.
He urged residents to report anyone not following the rules to the police.
Addressing the issue during a Facebook Live video with the rest of the council executive on Friday (May 1), Cllr Davies said: “The police are the people with the powers to move people on, and powers to engage with the public.
“They are very worried about the situation in Cheddar. The message in Weston has been well received about not coming here as a tourist destination.
“I do think there’s more traffic and there are more people around.
“I wonder if the South West having a relatively low level of infection is making people feel a bit blasé about the impact.
“Every one of us can point to a situation where a friend or relative has been made unwell, or sadly even died.”
More than 16,000 breaches of the lockdown have been reported to Avon and Somerset police. Officers have handed out 260 fines to those ignoring the restrictions.
Over the weekend it shut the road through Cheddar Gorge amid mounting concerns over safety and increasing breaches of coronavirus restrictions.
Cllr Davies added. “When you see some of the reasons people have given for making these journeys it is laughable in the extreme, if it wasn’t so frightening.
“The rules aren’t difficult to understand.
“A police response is the best way. If people are congregating, in a dangerous way, use the police website to report. They can’t be everywhere.
“The best thing is moral pressure. Shout at them if you can - say ‘oi!’”
Lockdown breaches can be reported to the police online here.
