Driving to the countryside and walking is considered a "reasonable excuse" for people to leave their homes during the coronavirus lockdown in England, according to police guidance.
Some public statements after the lockdown was announced suggested that people could could only leave their homes if it was "essential" to do so.
But a document published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the professional standards body the College of Policing states there is "no legal basis for a requirement in those terms to be imposed".
The guidance, which applies to England only, outlines what is likely to be a "reasonable excuse" for people to leave their homes, but emphasises the list is "not exhaustive".
"Officers are required to use their discretion and judgement in deciding what is and what isn’t ‘reasonable’ in the circumstances," the document says.
The guidance says driving to the countryside and walking is considered reasonable - but only where far more time is spent walking than driving.
It states it is “lawful to drive for exercise”, but driving for a prolonged period for only brief exercise would “not likely” be a reasonable excuse.
“Exercise must involve some movement, but it is acceptable for a person to stop for a break in exercise,” the guidance states.
“However, a very short period of ‘exercise’ to excuse a long period of inactivity may mean that the person is not engaged in ‘exercise’ but in fact something else.”
Stopping to rest or to eat lunch while on a long walk is likely to be allowed, the document says, but a short walk to a park bench, where the person remains seated for a long period, is not likely to be considered reasonable.
On buying necessities, the document says buying several days’ worth of food, including luxury items and alcohol, is likely to be considered reasonable.
The guidance states: "There is no need for all a person’s shopping to be basic food supplies; the purchase of snacks and luxuries is still permitted.
"If a person is already out of the address with good reason, then it would not be proportionate to prevent the person from buying non-essential items."
With regards to moving between addresses, moving to a friend’s address for several days to allow a "cooling-off" following arguments at home is also considered to be a reasonable excuse to leave the house, the guidance states.
But visiting a friend at their house or meeting in public to socialise is not reasonable.
On looking after pets, the document says taking a animal for treatment is reasonable, but visiting a vet’s surgery in person to renew a prescription is not reasonable when this could be done over the phone.
Turning to home and garden supplies, the guidance explains that Government regulations specify maintenance and upkeep of properties, but this does not extend to renovation and improvements.
So, buying paint and brushes, simply to redecorate a kitchen, is not likely to be a reasonable excuse for leaving the house, but buying tools and supplies to repair a fence panel damaged in recent bad weather, for example, is reasonable.
The list of what is unlikely to be considered a reasonable excuse includes a person who can work from home choosing to work in a local park, or a person knocking on doors offering to do cash-in-hand work.
