Coronavirus lockdown: Police plea to exercise rule-breakers

The warning comes after people were caught exercising on Pennington Flash today (March 28) despite the country park being closed to visitors.

Officers said some people had driven from Worsley to walk on the flash, while another couple had been on a six-mile walk. There were also couples from Higher Ince and Platt Bridge who had drove to the flash to go for a run.

Government lockdown rules allow people to leave their homes to take one form of exercise a day.

In a statement on Facebook, GMP Leigh, Atherton and Hindley, said: "Pennington Flash is closed to visitors, yet on attending today there were people who had driven from Worsley to walk here so not exercising locally, a couple on a sixmile walk, so out longer than 1 hour (trust me they weren't Olympic speed walkers), and a couple from Higher Ince and Platt Bridge who drove there, moved the cones blocking the entrance, and were going to park up and go for a run!

"This is serious, people are dying, and our superb NHS colleagues are at breaking point. Please observe the rules of the lockdown! Simples! Set the example, don't be the example!