Rural communities 'dob in' Sydney people who flout COVID-19 rules by heading to regional NSW

Police say residents from lockdown areas in NSW are not welcome in rural and regional communities.  (Supplied)

Police say rural communities are actively reporting city residents who are flouting COVID-19 health orders by visiting regional New South Wales.

Dozens of infringement notices have been issued to tourists from Sydney, who have been caught at Lithgow, Oberon and Dunedoo.

Western Region Commander assistant commissioner Geoff McKechnie said it was not just local police who were on the lookout. 

"We're getting a lot of information from the community, which is fantastic," he said.

"A lot of businesses are enforcing the sign-in procedures and that's bringing to notice people who aren't able to provide an address that's not in the Sydney [metropolitan] area." 

Dozens caught out west

Meanwhile, 17 people from Bankstown in the city's south-west are the latest to be issued with infringement notices. 

Police say officers were notified when a group arrived in the Newnes area of Lithgow to use motorbikes and all-terrain vehicles on Sunday. They were ordered to return home. 

The incident is just the latest in a series of breaches across central western NSW.

Ten others were caught in the Lithgow, Oberon and Dunedoo areas during the weekend, and all were sent back to Sydney. 

Fines have been issued to Sydney residents trying to visit Jenolan Caves near Oberon.  (ABC News: Hugh Hogan)

Assistant Commissioner McKechnie said police had less tolerance during this COVID outbreak than previous lockdowns.

"We weren't issuing as many tickets and running with more warnings but you can only do that for so long before you have to push on with compliance," he said. 

The Central West's proximity to Sydney is being blamed on the number of people choosing to flout restrictions. 

A busload of passengers was turned away from Dubbo's Taronga Western Plains Zoo in late June because of COVID-19 travel restrictions.  (Supplied: Leonie Saville )

More than 100 bus passengers were recently cautioned about trying to visit Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. 

"People just think they can run out to some of these closer places, Orange, Mudgee, Bathurst," assistant commissioner McKechnie said. 

"It is about geography and people may have had things planned that they haven't bothered to cancel."

Zero tolerance 

Police said people considering trying to slip out of Sydney or another lockdown zone should reconsider.

"Take some responsibility and … treat this seriously," Assistant Commissioner McKechnie said. 

"Put off the trip, put off the travel, stay at home.