THE heads of North Yorkshire’s emergency services have told people to follow the instructions laid out by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to stay at home.

In a joint statement, Lisa Winward, chief constable of North Yorkshire Police; Andrew Brodie, chief fire officer of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, and Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said: “It is our job to keep North Yorkshire safe and we can only do that if you follow the instruction to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.

“We know the vast majority of you have already been taking action to stop the spread of coronavirus, and we thank you for those efforts. But some have not - and the crowds we saw in some parts of North Yorkshire at the weekend illustrated that all too clearly.

“Now there is no ambiguity, there can be no question - if you do not need to be outside for an essential reason, to buy food or medicine or to exercise once a day, you must stay at home.

“Anyone who thinks this does not apply to them is putting lives at risk. North Yorkshire Police will use all powers we have to stop that, to keep us all safe and to ultimately save lives.

“Our emergency services will be here to protect you throughout this national emergency. We know these are unsettling times. They are unprecedented times. But across North Yorkshire we stand together, and together we’ll get through it.”