Rescuers slam people travelling to complete Three Peaks and have days out in Yorkshire Dales during lockdown

Rescuers have slammed people who travelled to complete the Three Peaks and have days out in the Yorkshire Dales over the weekend.
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The Cave Rescue Organisation said that they saw a "frustrating increase" in visitors heading into the Dales to go hill walking.

The group, which is made up of local volunteers, said that travelling for exercise is "invitation to head out into the National Parks".

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A spokesman on their Facebook page said: "We appreciate that we are mostly preaching to the converted when posting here, but this is the best media we have for getting this message across.

Pen-y-Ghent - one of Yorkshire's Three Peaks alongside Whernside  and Ingleborough.Pen-y-Ghent - one of Yorkshire's Three Peaks alongside Whernside  and Ingleborough.
Pen-y-Ghent - one of Yorkshire's Three Peaks alongside Whernside and Ingleborough.

"We’ve seen a disappointing, and frankly frustrating increase in visitors heading into the Dales and going out hill walking over the weekend.

"We want to reiterate that the recent clarification in police guidelines relating to travelling for exercise is not an open invitation to head out into the National Parks and beauty spots and then head up into the hills.

"In addition to people undertaking the individual hills, we have even had people travelling to complete the Three Peaks."

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The spokesman added: "Irrespective of how you interpret the guidelines, please stay local and stay off the hills - they will be there long after this awful situation is over.

"In a nutshell, Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker of North Yorkshire Police summed it up best in his statement on Friday:

"This is not about trying to find justification for a day out or loopholes to side step the advice.

"The truth is stark – if you do travel further than you absolutely have to, you are risking the spread of the virus, your own lives and that of others.’’

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"Please don’t put any unnecessary burden on our colleagues in the NHS, or put Mountain Rescue volunteers at risk.

"It’s not rocket science, please stay local, stick to low level walks for now, and exercise well within your ability."

Lockdown restrictions mean people should only leave their home for the following four reasons:

- Infrequent shopping for basic necessities, such as food or medicine. People should use delivery services where they can

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- One form of exercise per day, either alone or with people you live with

- For a medical need, such as a doctor or hospital visit, or to take care of the vulnerable

- To go to work, but only if this cannot be done from home