Ministers urge public to report neighbours breaking new ‘Rule of Six’

Ministers today urged people to report neighbours if they fear they are flouting new ‘Rule of Six’ coronavirus curbs.

Policing minister Kit Malthouse said rule-breakers should be flagged to the authorities, amid a backlash at the draconian measures.

The drastic intervention comes as Home Secretary Priti Patel warned that people face criminal records if they refuse to abide by the law.

Meanwhile, the government’s response has been slammed by top scientists as panicky and led by a ‘Dads Army’ of people with no experience.  

The restrictions are now in force in England after a weekend in which many members of the public enjoyed a final meet up.

Gatherings of more than six people have been made illegal in a bid to stem a surge in coronavirus cases, which experts have warned is on the verge of spiralling out of control. It means that many larger households can no longer meet up with anyone else together. 

However, the rules in England are tougher than in Wales and Scotland, where under-12s are being exempted from the crackdown. 

There are fears that worse is in the pipeline, with a 10pm curfew for pubs being considered amid alarm that young people are ‘forgetting’ Covid regulations.  

As the UK stands on the brink of another tough lockdown: 

• Police last night cracked down on young revellers hitting the booze before Boris Johnson’s new six person limit to social gatherings kicked in today;
• Nightingale hospitals ‘have been put on standby’ and the nation warned to adhere to the Prime Minister’s new rules or face another full lockdown;
• The Government’s ‘world-beating’ testing system is in ‘chaos’ with a backlog of 185,000 swabs and is dispatching the samples to Italy and Germany to deal with the strain;
• Six West End theatres say they’ll reopen next month with temperature checks at the doors, face masks and socially-distanced seating;
• Tory donors have urged the Government to protect the economy above all because without money there can be no healthcare. 

This morning Mr Malthouse said families should report their neighbours if they saw them breaking the rules.

And he did not rule out the possibility of a dedicated hotline – although insisted the police non-emergency number was the contact point for now.

He said: ‘We are in discussion about what reporting mechanisms might be, there is obviously the non-emergency number people can ring to report issues they wish to and certainly in lockdown – the initial phase of lockdown – we did see a surge of those reports coming through to the police.

‘If people are concerned and they do think there has been contravention then that option is open to them .

‘It’s open people to do that through the non-emergency number and if they are concerned and they do see that kind of thing then absolutely they should think about that.’

The government’s ‘rule of six’ came in today, as as it tried to tackle rising coronavirus infection rates by restricting meetings both indoors and outdoors.  

Police can fine people up to £3,200 pounds if they disobey the new rules.

Mr Malthouse told Today: ‘Police officers will obviously assess the situation in front of them but in the end we all have an individual duty towards our collective health and we hope that view will prevail.

‘Police should start by encouraging people to comply and explaining to them what the situation is and impressing upon them the duty they have to our collective health. Only in the situation where individuals refuse to comply should police consider moving towards enforcement.’

Writing in the Sun, Ms Patel said those who fail to pay the fines face criminal records.

‘These new rules are easier to understand and easier for the police to enforce,’ she said. 

‘I know that, as part of our national effort, the law-abiding majority will stick to these new rules. But there will be a small minority who do not, and the police have the necessary powers to take action against them. 

‘This disease is deadly and that is why it is right that the police enforce where people break the rules.’ 

Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), said he accepted that rule changes were ‘confusing for the public’.

But he told BBC Breakfast that officers would be working to make sure they are followed. ‘This has been really challenging for policing over six months,’ he said.

‘We had the initial universal lockdown, we’ve had changes since then, the public need to understand those changes.

‘We work with all our partners in local authorities, people who are running shops, people who are running other hospitality areas, we are part of the group that are trying to explain to members of the public what the rules are and encouraging people to comply with them.’

The hard tactics followed cities last night seeing revellers mount a last hurrah before the rules with the warm weather providing perfect conditions for the social gatherings.

Yesterday sun-soaked areas such as Bournemouth, Brighton and Nottingham were packed before the strict new regulations came in to tackle rising coronavirus infection rates. 

But it came as officials urged young people to heed their warnings and remember ‘the importance of the rules’ as the country’s Covid case total continues to soar. 

Some 3,330 coronavirus cases were reported today – up 11 per cent from last Sunday. It follows 3,497 confirmed cases on Saturday and 3,539 cases on Friday. 

Meanwhile, a report has revealed that up to 4.5 million people most at risk from Covid will be instructed to stay at home under a new shielding plan based on health, age and weight. 

Letters with tailored advice are to be sent to individuals based on a new ‘risk model’ which will factor in underlying health conditions, age, sex and weight.

It will be introduced first for areas with high rates of infection but a Whitehall source told The Sunday Telegraph ‘if the rate is so concerning across the whole of England we are prepared to do it on a blanket basis.’

In Bournemouth, swathes of sun worshippers lined roads and filled beaches to enjoy the heatwave.

And in London, many headed to bars, standing in close proximity despite the persisting pandemic.  

Many chose to push the boat out while they still could and went out for a last hurrah before once again being constrained to friendship ‘bubbles’.

Owain, 24, who travelled from Guildford, Surrey, down to Brighton with his friends on Saturday night, said: ‘This new rule means we’re not going be able to go out for ages together as a group.

‘It might even be after Christmas before we see each other again so we wanted to go out in style.’

It was a similar tale for families during the daytime yesterday. The Ledbetter family from Crawley, West Sussex, enjoyed Sunday lunch at the Music Hall in Brighton.

Haydn Ledbetter, 49, wife Donna, 45, and their two children joined three other friends and their families to make a party of 14.

They had taken over two benches to enjoy fish and chips in the sunshine.

Mr Ledbetter, an airport worker, said: ‘Frankly the Government has made so many U-turns this summer none of us trust them to make a good call any more.

‘If the law is still in place at Christmas then I certainly won’t be sticking to it.’ 

Ahead of the crackdown, Mr Buckland has warned the government could go even further next week and introduce curfews.

He told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday: ‘I think that as you’ve seen we’ve been very prepared to move quickly where necessary and where the evidence points us.

‘I think there’s an issue about social occasions and social events and particularly young people getting together and enjoying themselves sometimes a bit too much and forgetting the importance of the rules. 

‘I think it would be idle of me to speculate as to what measures we might have to bring in as we approach the winter.’

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is believed to be considering introducing a 10pm or 11pm curfew on restaurants, bars and pubs if local measures are unable to bring the spread of the virus under control.

The move stems from a concern that adherence to social distancing measures diminishes the more people consume alcohol.

It comes amid rising fears that the virus could rampage through Britain once again. 

Yesterday, more than 3,000 coronavirus cases were recorded overall in the UK for the second day in a row – the first time since mid-May that recorded cases have been above that level on consecutive days.

The Government said that as of 9am on Saturday, there had been a further 3,497 lab-confirmed cases in the UK, slightly lower than the 3,539 cases recorded on Friday.

Speaking about the rise in cases, Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine, Imperial College London, said a ‘trickle’ of cases can turn into a ‘cascade’, adding that if people do not abide by the ‘rule of six’ now then the country faces going back into ‘hard lockdown’.

He said: ‘I think everyone is in agreement that we really need to act very quickly now in order to prevent this from growing exponentially.

‘I think that’s the main point is that we must act fast because it’s so much harder to get this sort of thing under control if you delay.

‘Even a few days is potentially going to be quite dangerous now at this particular moment.’

Former chief scientific adviser and member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) Sir Mark Walport has warned that the country is ‘on the edge of losing control’ of Covid-19.

Asked if he thinks Sir Mark is right, Prof Openshaw told Ridge: ‘Well yes I think that is right.’

Police across Britain last night launched a crack down on illegal parties as revellers hit the town for boozy celebrations.

Officers broke up house parties in Altrincham, Stockport and Flixton, all in Greater Manchester, on Saturday night, while police in Nottingham tackled a 50 person gathering in Lenton.

In the largest gathering said to have been broken up by officers last night, a team from Greater Manchester Police dispersed around 70 party-goers from a house in Mottram.

Police are also investigating an illegal rave which took place in the leafy Surrey village of Wisley. 

Under Boris Johnson’s strict new measures, groups of more than six can be broken up by police who will be able to hand out £100 fines to those who flout the rules.

This will double on each repeat offence up to £3,200 and only schools, workplaces and a limited number of other locations will be exempt.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, yesterday described the rule as ‘extraordinarily harsh’ and said it interfered with a ‘right to normal family life’.

Labour also backed a review of the rule to allow children to be exempted. 

Rachel Reeves, shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, said yesterday: ‘I think the simplicity of the rule of six is useful, but I think the Government needs to keep under review whether children need to be included in that or whether we can do more to enable families to come together.’ 

Sir Graham told BBC Radio 4: ‘The new restrictions obviously are extraordinarily harsh. They are a very serious interference in people’s normal personal freedom and their right to normal family life as well… We have a Parliament which is meant to make some decisions. I suspect in this instance whereas people like me when I’m not satisfied by the explanations given for a rule of six rather than eight or ten, or whether children should be included or excluded, I might well vote against it if we were allowed a vote.

‘But I suspect given the opposition parties have been in favour of locking everybody down for as long as possible and removing all of their freedoms at every opportunity that the Government would actually win very easily.’ 

People with large families have also urged ministers to rethink the restrictions so young children are excluded.

Sarah Pearson, 41, from Norwich, has six children. The rule means she would face a fine of £100 if as a group they meet anyone outside the family. She said: ‘We are already being careful. It’s another thing that separates them from friends.’ 

The move, introduced to tackle the rising spread of coronavirus, comes as a Government-led study yesterday suggested the reproduction ‘R’ rate could be as high as 1.7 in England. 

Tim Robson, the North East’s representative on the national Pubwatch scheme, expected police officers would strictly monitor bars over the weekend to ensure they are operating safely.

He said: ‘There is an anticipation that everyone is going to have a big last binge, but people are starting to get fearful and a lot of licensed premises have already been clamped down on by the police.’

Mr Robson, a former police officer, said it will be up to licensees to manage their premises and break up large groups from gathering together unsafely.

He added: ‘There may be a rise in groups going out this weekend, but it will be probably to premises who don’t have door supervision and control.’

Meanwhile Newcastle upon Tyne’s director of public health Eugene Milne has said he did not think large numbers of people would go out for a big binge ahead of the tighter controls coming in. 

He told Tyne Tees TV News: ‘At the opening of lockdown there was a real fear that that might happen in the city, and that didn’t happen so I think we can trust people.

‘The idea of the rule of six is to make it easier for people to know how to stick with the guidance and I think one of the big problems has been the guidance has progressively got so complicated, so specific to particular areas, that it becomes very confusing for everybody.’

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the spike in infections justifies the Government’s new ‘rule of six’, warning people ‘the pandemic is not over’. 

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove today urged people to act ‘in tune with’ the rules this weekend ahead of the ‘rule of six’ coming into force or risk increasing the rate of spread of coronavirus.

He told BBC Breakfast: ‘If people do behave in a way that is not really in line or in tune with the guidelines that have been put out then they are putting other people at risk.

‘The reason why the country’s police chiefs have said that they hope people behave with appropriate restraint this weekend is we do not want to see a further acceleration of the spread of the virus.’

He denied that the Government was losing control of Covid-19. ‘No. I don’t accept that,’ he said.  

Mr Gove also rubbished claims that Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s hugely popular Eat Out To Help Out programme contributed to the spread of coronavirus, and said fines could be necessary in order to enforce self-isolation rules.

Speaking to the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme, he said: ‘We’re not saying people shouldn’t see their friends but there does need to be a degree of self-discipline, of restriction to deal with the challenges we are facing.’

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster also responded to criticism of the Government’s anti-Covid crackdown, saying people can only have freedom if it is exercised ‘responsibly’.  

‘I don’t want to see fines being levied but even more I do not want to see people behaving in a way that puts the most vulnerable at risk,’ Mr Gove told the Today programme this morning. ‘Well there are restrictions, and I love freedom, but the one thing I think is even more important is that you exercise freedom with responsibility. 

‘When you are exercising freedom, you should do so in a way that does not do harm to others.’   

As people gathered in the streets to party, Greater Manchester Police said they closed down illegal gatherings at properties in Altrincham and Flixton on Saturday night, as well as a large gathering of around 70 people in Mottram.

Fixed penalty notices were issued at each of the incidents as current rules only allow groups of up to 30 to meet.

The interventions came just hours after officers attended a gathering at an address in Stockport which had 45 people in attendance, and another address in north Manchester which they had been called to on two previous occasions.

Earlier, Nottinghamshire Police issued a teenager with a £10,000 fine for hosting a house party in Lenton, which saw more than 50 guests gather at a home on Harlaxton Drive.

The force said if the 19-year-old man fails to pay or contests the fine he will appear before a court.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cooper, from Nottinghamshire Police, warned anyone thinking of hosting parties ahead of the changes on Monday – when social gatherings in England will be limited to groups of six people both indoors and outdoors – to think again or face the consequences.

He said: ‘We need to all remember we are very much still in the middle of a global pandemic and we all need to take responsibility for our actions.

‘I want to send out a clear message to anyone who is thinking of deliberately hosting parties tonight or tomorrow night ahead of the rules changing to please not do this.

‘We are not afraid to use the full powers we have and we will not tolerate those who are deliberately putting other people’s lives in danger.’

As hundreds of Britons enjoyed a final weekend of freedom, police bosses urged people to look after each other and avoid a ‘party weekend’ before the restrictions are implemented.

John Apter, national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: ‘There is a real risk some members of the public will take advantage of the current situation and treat this weekend as a party weekend ahead of the tighter restrictions being introduced on Monday.

‘Alcohol and warm weather are not a good combination at the best of times. Using the current situation as an opportunity and excuse to party would be incredibly irresponsible and put pressure not only on policing, but potentially on the ambulance service and NHS.

‘We are in the grip of a deadly pandemic and we have seen cases increasing over recent weeks. Policing is under pressure like never before, but my colleagues will give enforcement notices if they feel it’s appropriate, and we make no apology for doing so.’ 

Elsewhere, would-be revellers were encouraged to stay home as Birmingham became the latest city to be hit with localised lockdown rules after the number of coronavirus patients being admitted to hospitals doubled in a week. 

From Tuesday, more than 1.5million people in Birmingham and neighbouring Solihull and Sandwell will be banned from mixing with anyone outside of their own household in private homes, pubs, restaurants or in gardens.

Yesterday, police officers told the Telegraph they fear Britain will resemble the ‘last days of Rome’ after this weekend amid a storm of decadent planned pre-lockdown parties.  

One officer, based in the north east of England, said: ‘We are worried this weekend is going to be like the last days of Rome.  

‘If people think they are not going to be allowed to go out and enjoy themselves for the next few months, they are going to go crazy and we will be left picking up the pieces.’

Britons have promised to run riot and enjoy one last knees-up with friends before Mr Johnson’s stringent new coronavirus restrictions come into force.  

Many are having to cancel parties after warnings of a rapid increase in infections among people in their teens, 20s and 30s – but fears have risen that some will take the weekend as an opportunity to run wild despite the ongoing pandemic.

A senior officer said they were not sure if police had the resources to meet the challenge of thousands of people ignoring restrictions this weekend.   

Chairman of the Police Federation in West Yorkshire, Brian Booth, added officers were ‘flat out again doing the everyday things such as dealing with stabbings, shootings, drug dealers, missing people etc’. 

‘If we are going to be asked to focus on enforcement, something else will have to give,’ he said. 

Storm grows over ‘irrational’ Rule of 6: Government advisor admits curbs are flawed amid clamour to relax rules so they don’t include children 

Jason Groves Political Editor for the Daily Mail

Ministers are facing mounting pressure to relax the controversial ‘rule of six’ which comes into force on Monday.

The Covid crackdown measure makes it illegal for people to meet in groups of seven or more, either indoors or outdoors.

Police have been told to step up enforcement by breaking up large gatherings and issuing £100 fines to those who refuse to disperse.

And Boris Johnson has urged councils to recruit a new army of ‘Covid marshals’ to help enforce the law in town centres.

One member of the Government’s Sage advisory group yesterday acknowledged that the details of the rule of six could seem ‘somewhat irrational’.

Tory MPs are pushing for an exemption for children aged under 12, as has been allowed in both Scotland and Wales.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, yesterday described the rule as ‘extraordinarily harsh’ and said it interfered with a ‘right to normal family life’.

Labour also backed a review of the rule to allow children to be exempted. Rachel Reeves, shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, said yesterday: ‘I think the simplicity of the rule of six is useful, but I think the Government needs to keep under review whether children need to be included in that or whether we can do more to enable families to come together.’ Sir Graham told BBC Radio 4: ‘The new restrictions obviously are extraordinarily harsh. They are a very serious interference in people’s normal personal freedom and their right to normal family life as well… We have a Parliament which is meant to make some decisions. I suspect in this instance whereas people like me when I’m not satisfied by the explanations given for a rule of six rather than eight or ten, or whether children should be included or excluded, I might well vote against it if we were allowed a vote.

‘But I suspect given the opposition parties have been in favour of locking everybody down for as long as possible and removing all of their freedoms at every opportunity that the Government would actually win very easily.’

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland appeared to rule out an early review of the rule. He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that ‘simplicity’ was vital in ensuring everyone understood what was expected of them.

‘I think this rule of six is very straightforward,’ he said. ‘Everybody can understand it.

‘Our social life, however nice to have it is and however important it is to bring families together, has to come second to those priorities if we are to maintain the balance between recovering our economy, educating our youngsters and fighting this virus.’

Professor Peter Openshaw, a member of the Government’s Scientific Advice Group for Emergencies, admitted that the details of the new rule could seem ‘somewhat irrational’, but said it was needed to head off the risk of a wider lockdown. He told Sky News: ‘It’s going to cause pain and suffering for us all to go back to some degree of lockdown but I’m afraid if we don’t do this now we’re going to be right back in hard lockdown.’

Asked what he meant by ‘irrational’, Prof Openshaw said: ‘I think people have been complaining widely about the fact that you can carry on doing things like exercising in groups and doing sports and getting together for special events, but yet you can’t have both a grandmother and a grandfather come to visit your home if you’re a family-of-five.

‘It is inevitably going to create those difficulties which are hard to explain.’

People with large families have also urged ministers to rethink the restrictions so young children are excluded.

Sarah Pearson, 41, from Norwich, has six children. The rule means she would face a fine of £100 if as a group they meet anyone outside the family. She said: ‘We are already being careful. It’s another thing that separates them from friends.’