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Additional police are being deployed to train stations to prevent people from taking non-essential Level 4 travel after passengers crowded into trains in London to escape tightening of COVID-19 restrictions.
Many people were seen leaving the capital yesterday after the announcement of new Level 4 measures.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced Sunday that the British Transport Police would have a greater presence after the chaotic scenes on Saturday night.
Grant Shapps announced that more cops were delighting
He said: “Additional BTP officers are being deployed to ensure that only those who need to take essential travel can travel safely.”
Shapps added: “If you are on Level 4, the law means that you must stay home and you cannot stay overnight. In the rest of the country, you must stay locally.”
Christmas Transport Czar Sir Peter Hendry said: “At the stations we will deploy additional staff, the announcements will clarify the law, and there are additional officers from BTP to ensure that only essential trips are made.”
“People considering driving should also stay home or stay in place.”
Hancock let out a deep breath and shook his head when asked about images of a busy St Pancras station next to Sky’s Sophy Ridge.
He said: “This was clearly totally irresponsible behavior, the medical director [Professor Chris Whitty] It was absolutely clear that people should unpack their bags if they had them packed.
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Matt Hancock responds to crowded London train station
“I think these are relatively small numbers, and the vast majority of people throughout this pandemic have played by the rules, been responsible and played their part, and I want to thank everyone for doing that.”
When asked on the BBC’s Andrew Marr program on Sunday if the police could prevent families from leaving Level 4 areas to visit relatives, Hancock said the police would respect the new laws.
Fears about a new strain of coronavirus prompted the prime minister to announce yesterday that all areas that were previously at Level 3 in the South East, including London, would move to the new Level 4 today.
This means the closure of non-essential shops, gyms and hair salons, with the order that people stay at home, with few exceptions.
It also bans home mixing during Christmas, which saw many people give the last minute slightly lighter rules in other parts of England.
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The new variant leads to stricter restrictions
The most severe restrictions were announced by the prime minister on Saturday at a press conference at 4 pm before they go into effect today.
At 7pm last night, there were no seats available online on trains at various London stations, including Paddington, Kings Cross and Euston.
Harriet Clugston was among those traveling on a train from St Pancras to Leeds, a service she described as “crowded”.
She wrote on Twitter: “The ad on Tannoy says that social distancing ‘will not be possible’ due to volume and to be turned down if you are not comfortable with it.
“People have tried to ensure social distance by placing (suitcases) on the seats, but other passengers have asked them to remove them because the train is so full.”
She added: “All the people on this train, including myself, have made what is probably a very foolish and irresponsible decision to travel, albeit within the law. But that’s what people were always going to do to be together. In Christmas.
“My mother lives alone and there is no way I can’t be with her at Christmas.”
One woman, who did not want to be named, said she and her partner had made a “split decision” to take their young son to his parents’ home on the coast.
“We just made the decision to leave based on the fact that my parents told them to come, and we couldn’t bear the thought of there being no fresh air and a little kid going crazy for a small apartment for the foreseeable,” he said.
“We also felt that we wanted to take the baby to a slightly safer place with a garden, although we know that many people will not have that luxury.
She added: “The grandparents are desperately happy to see their grandson.
“Obviously we worry about bringing them something, but they seem happy to take the risk.”
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