A TOTAL of 355 fixed penalty notices were issued by North Yorkshire Police between December 2 and January 5 for coronavirus breaches.

The vast majority of these (334) were for indoor gatherings, while nine were for outdoor gatherings.

The force has revealed that 154 FPNs were issued in the York area, and 147 of these were for indoor gatherings.

Of the 154 FPNs, 115 were issued to visitors, and just 39 to local residents.

In the Scarborough district, 171 FPNs were issued for indoor gatherings.

Speaking about this, chief inspector Rachel Wood said: “While the majority of Scarborough residents have followed the guidance and understood the rules around social gatherings, unfortunately the figures show that there was a minority of people who chose to openly flout the rules and host and attend house parties.

“Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams attended a number of incidents over the festive season and had to take enforcement action, as sadly some people did not disperse and go home when instructed.

“I cannot stress enough how serious our current situation is. As a nation we have moved into new national restrictions and we are being told to once again stay home to save lives and protect our health service. We are seeing infection rates rise and the impact of the virus and the new more transmissible strain is really being felt by our hospitals and healthcare colleagues. People are losing their loved ones to this virus every day.

“So I am urging Scarborough residents to stick to the rules, especially as we approach the first weekend of the new national restrictions. Stay home and only leave if it is for an essential reason such as shopping or medical assistance. People are not permitted to gather indoor or outdoors socially and you should not be meeting anyone outside your own household or support bubble. For more guidance on the restrictions and what you are allowed to do, visit the gov.uk website.

“Our local patrol plans have been revised and we have increased our presence and visibility in our local communities, so members of the public will see officers on the roads and patrolling our local areas. We will take enforcement action against those who are breaking the rules and putting the wider community at risk from this deadly virus. So please stay home and stay safe.”