East Antrim heeds ‘stay at home’ message

Officers patrolled locations around Carrickfergus and Larne following concerns about the public flouting Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

On Sunday afternoon, Larne PSNI stated: “Police have been on patrol throughout the district, paying attention to town centres and local beauty spots.

“On a beautiful day we are happy to report people are paying far greater heed to the social distancing rules.

“Thank you for your efforts and please keep staying at home to save lives.”

The response was in contrast to the previous day when police were continuing to get reports of large crowds of walkers and families in beauty spots.

“Social distancing isn’t a suggestion, it’s a requirement. This isn’t a holiday, it’s a national emergency,” said the PSNI.

“If you are going out for your daily exercise (as we are all perfectly entitled to do), please think smart and stay away from areas you know will be popular.

“The guidelines are there for a reason, so let’s work together to minimise the spread of Covid-19.”

On Friday, NI Water appealed to the public to stay away from reservoirs including Woodburn, Loughmourne and Copeland Dams, near Carrickfergus.

Maynard Cousley, Head of Water Supply at NI Water, said: “We closed these sites to help the public keep themselves, their families and their communities protected from the spread of Covid-19 and we have become aware that some members of the public are continuing to access them.

“NI Water is an essential service provider with key workers who need access to these sites. Please be responsible and stay at home, the safety of the public and NI Water staff is paramount.”

Meanwhile, East Antrim DUP MLA David Hilditch said he had received a complaint today (Monday) about visitors at Glenoe Waterfall, near Larne, over the weekend.

“People are concerned about others from outside the area coming into the village at this time. It remains an issue,” said Mr Hilditch.

Signage, he added, has been put up at the car park advising the public the National Trust managed location is closed during the coronavirus emergency.

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.