CORONAVIRUS: Four Boston people fined after flouting regulations in bid to hold party - but town eerily quiet as most stay home

Although most people listened to repeated pleas for people to stay home, one group from the district were found to have travelled by car to celebrate a birthday.

The three men and one woman were spotted on Saturday morning by a local Sleaford officer in between Cranwell and Sleaford on the A17.

Lincolnshire Police said they had travelled to the area to “find a big field to celebrate a birthday” - and had enough food with them for a much bigger gathering.

Inspector Rachel Blackwell of the force said: "Despite repeated and serious reminders not to leave the house during the coronavirus lockdown, some people are still ignoring the rules and are leaving their homes for non-essential reasons.

"Please Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save lives. "The public should only go outside for one-form of daily exercise, to shop for essentials, go to work (only if you cannot work from home) or to care for a vulnerable person.

"It is also important to get across that if you are going out to shop for essential items – you should send only one adult from the household, and not try to shop as a couple – as stores will and should turn you away."

There have now been a total of 20 FPNs issued in Lincolnshire.

Police said on Saturday that people in the county were largely following the central advice to stay at home, to only make essential journeys, and to keep 2m from people if trips are unavoidable.

“Our beaches have been deserted even in the recent sunny weather, our city streets have been eerily quiet, and our usually bustling market towns have been desolate. For that we are grateful,” a force spokesperson said.

“But some people have decided not to listen to the advice and have subsequently found themselves issued with a hefty on-the-spot fine.”