Four people caught inhaling laughing gas in a car tell police they were 'just chilling'

A group of people from different households were caught breaking lockdown rules by sitting in a car together and inhaling nitrous oxide, telling police they were 'just chilling'.
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The quartet were rumbled by police when they were found in the same vehicle parked at The Beacon countryside park in Skelmersdale, Lancashire Police said. It was one of nearly 200 incidents resulting in a Fixed Penalty Notice for lockdown rule breaking over the previous few days.

In a tongue-in-cheek social media post, the force also included details of several other lockdown breaches occurring over several days.

They included:

Lancs Police issued 198 fixed penalty notices for breaches of the Covid-19 regulations which have taken place right across LancashireLancs Police issued 198 fixed penalty notices for breaches of the Covid-19 regulations which have taken place right across Lancashire
Lancs Police issued 198 fixed penalty notices for breaches of the Covid-19 regulations which have taken place right across Lancashire
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- A vehicle full of people from different addresses doing doughnuts on Deepdale Retail Park, Preston

- Four people from different addresses in one car at The Beacon, Wigan, inhaling nitrous oxide and telling officers they were ‘just chilling’

- A house party in Nelson, with people from several different addresses in attendance

- A student party at an address in Preston

- A gym in St Annes still operating and found by officers with a personal trainer and clients inside

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- A group of men watching football together at an address in Ashton on Ribble

- A house party in Colne, where the homeowner told officers she was just ‘having a disco’

- Ten men playing football together in an area off Tag Lane, Ingol

- Two people from different addresses (one in Preston and one in Blackburn) stopped close to the Docks in Preston… and after giving several reasons for being out together eventually admitting they had met up to get a McDonald’s

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- A man from Blackburn stopped on Morecambe promenade in the early hours of Monday, who had driven to the area in a vehicle without a license or insurance…or a good reason to be there

Between Friday January 15th and Wednesday January 20th, Lancs Police issued 198 fixed penalty notices for breaches of the Covid-19 regulations which have taken place right across Lancashire.

Ch Insp Patrick Worden, chair of the Lancashire Resilience Forum’s Enforcement Cell, said: “We have always been clear that we would rather explain, encourage and educate, before enforcing as a last resort, but these incidents have all been blatant and deliberate breaches of the regulations.

"We all want to return to normality as soon as possible, but in order to do that we need to contain the spread of the virus. To do that we all need to do our bit and stick to the legislation and guidance. Behaviour by people such as those mentioned in the incidents above will only prolong the restrictions for all of us.

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"We hope this round-up sends a message that we will clamp down, where needed, on those flouting the regulations.

“If you are a key worker or have a reasonable reason for being out and about, please don’t be offended if we stop you to ask where you are going and why you are out – our officers are just doing their jobs and are working extremely hard to keep everybody safe.”

Anybody with concerns about lockdown breaches can report them online at http://orlo.uk/cgv36 or by calling 101.

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