Large group of skaters spotted breaking Covid rules at popular Northampton skatepark

The skatepark on Bedford Road has been subject for scrutiny recently as skaters say they are adhering to rules, while others are picturing them not adhering to the rules.

The government's rules state: "When around other people, stay two metres apart from anyone not in your household. This includes the person you are exercising with, unless they are from your household - meaning the people you live with - or your support bubble."

Police were contacted for comment on the image and replied saying the skatepark is still an 'area of concern'.

A police spokeswoman said: "We are aware of this issue and the skatepark is on our patrol list as an area of concern, meaning it gets visited regularly. Obviously we can’t have people there 24/7 but have warned the people on there that we will issue them with fixed penalty notices if they continue to use the area.

"We are asking people to follow the rules and most people are but we all have out part to play in order to mitigate the spread of this virus. This also involves parents/guardians knowing where their children are and reiterating the importance of following the rules to them."

"We have listened to the people": Council U-turn will see lights turned off at Northampton skatepark in an attempt to stop large groups gatheringNorthampton Borough Council recently made a U-Turn on its plans to fence off the park, instead opting to turn the floodlights off in the evenings.

A council spokesman said: “We have listened to what people have said, and have also had engagement with the Skate Park Action Committee over this matter.

“People must stay safe, so we have decided on a staged approach to enforcement which we hope will deal with the ongoing issues around people failing to observe appropriate social distancing and Covid-safe rules.

“We are now turning off the floodlights in the evenings, as that appears to be when most of the problems happen. This will allow those who access the site during the day to continue doing so."

The council has been contacted as to what it plans to do to prevent the issues from taking place in the daytime.