Off-duty officer and police dog broke up campers breaching Covid-19 regulations

An off-duty police dog and his handler broke up a group of campers flouting Covid-19 regulations in Ceredigion.

PC Mike Barnsley and police dog Storm were alerted to the group while out exercising in the Strata Florida area on Sunday, May 10.

They were assisted by response team officers, and discovered a number of people, along with off-road vehicles, motorhomes and a low loader van.

The group, who had travelled from Liverpool, appeared to be camping in order to go off-roading in the area, had already been stopped by roads policing officers the night before.

Sergeant Dave Hawksworth said: “They had clearly not heeded the advice of officers the night before to leave the area and return home, and appeared intent on continuing to flout the restrictions.

“As a result, enforcement action was taken, with the whole group being issued with Covid-19 penalty notices before leaving to return to Liverpool.

“I hope this goes to show that we continue to work hard to ensure our rural communities are protected, and that we will take appropriate enforcement action when necessary.”