A man who became embroiled in a debate with police after driving 55 miles to exercise has said he broke lockdown rules for a serious health condition.
Stephen, 46, drove from Liverpool to Pendle Hill to climb a steep hill and was forced to return home by officers who found him in Barley on April 14.
But Stephen has hit back after the ordeal, saying he needs exercise due to his high blood pressure to keep him off medication, reports the Liverpool Echo.
At the time, Ribble Valley Police said: "Today we have removed an individual who thought it was okay to drive from Liverpool to Barley to walk up Pendle Hill.
"His justification for this was his local hills were ‘closed to the public’ and he needs to exercise as he has high blood pressure.
"This man was ill-equipped for the task and clearly not physically fit enough to tackle what was in front of him.
"It was below freezing this morning and whilst it was a beautifully clear day he had no idea of the route terrain or direction back to his car once he had got to the top. If he made it all. No map, no compass, no fluids and no idea..."
However, Stephen believes the implementation of the government’s coronavirus emergency powers towards him was "inappropriate".
Speaking to the ECHO , Stephen, a civil engineer, said he suffers from hypertension and has only recently come off medication for the condition.
He said: "An essential and ongoing combination of weight loss and regular exercise has resulted in my being able to manage my hypertension without the need for prescribed medication.
"However, the regular exercise concerned consists of regularly walking steep inclines as I cannot run or jog due to cartilage problems in my left knee."
Previously, Stephen said he was travelling to Moel Famau and Loggerheads Park in North Wales once or twice a week to perform such exercise.
But due to recent Covid-19 restrictions, these sites have temporarily closed, which Stephen says meant he had to venture to Pendle Hill in Lancashire instead.
At the start of his walk, Stephen says he was flagged down my a marked police vehicle, who enquired whether he had parked his car on the road.
Stephen said: "I turned to address the officer and was met with an exclamation of "stay back, don’t come any closer".
"I was about ten feet away from the officer at this point, who remained in the vehicle.
"I confirmed that the car on the road was mine. The officer then asked if I had driven from Liverpool.
"I was having trouble hearing the officer, due to the noise of the vehicle engine, and endeavoured to take up a position at the side of the vehicle, whilst maintaining an appropriate distance, so I could hear him better; but was met with another caustic exclamation of "don’t come any closer, I won’t tell you again".
Stephen says he then explained to the officer his medical condition and how upon research Pendle Hill had not been identified as a closed site for visitors.
Following a further conversation, Stephen says was he was asked to leave the area immediately.
Stephen says he was left saddened by what he believes to be 'inappropriate and completely disproportionate' behaviour of the police.
He said: "It was never my intention to obstruct the officer in the execution of his duties in any way, nor fail to comply with the officer’s subsequent appraisal of the situation.
"I was simply conversing with the officer in an attempt to explain the overarching circumstances and convey the fact that I had in fact travelled a ‘reasonable distance’ to the nearest available location able to facilitate my health requirements via appropriate exercise."
He added: "I am an experienced climber who was appropriately dressed and profoundly familiar with Pendle Hill."
New government guidelines released to police yesterday state driving to the countryside and walking, when far more time is spent walking than driving is a reasonable excuse to leave the house for.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "We can confirm that we have received a complaint so it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment any further on this particular case at this time.
"However it is important to remember that this is an unprecedented public health emergency with an unprecedented national effort to fight this virus.
"We’re all in this together and each and every one of us has a role to play by following the government advice."
They continued: "Officers will encourage and support our communities to comply fully with the restrictions by engaging, explaining and encouraging.
"The vast majority of people are fully complying with the guidance and advice and we thank them for helping to stop the spread of the virus.
"We are clear that only when faced with non-compliance will we then enforce as a last resort for individuals who have not responded to engage, explain, and encourage and where public health is at risk.
"Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives."
