MP asks Prime Minister for clear definition of ‘local area’ for exercise

This afternoon, South Lakes MP Tim Farron has written to the Prime Minister, asking him to provide immediate clarity on how far people are allowed to travel for exercise.

Currently, Government guidance states that "leaving home to exercise should be done locally wherever possible but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary."

This has led to widespread confusion with Cumbria Police reporting incidents of people travelling hundreds of miles to do their exercise in the Lake District.

Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum, last week two women received fines of £200 each by Derbyshire Police after driving just five miles from their home for a walk.

In his letter to Boris Johnson, Tim asked for the Government to provide guidance similar to that in Scotland, where there is clear limit on how far people can exercise.

Tim said: "Outdoor exercise is so important for both our physical and mental health.

"But the Government's very muddy guidance means we have this ludicrous situation where the police are reporting that people are travelling to the Lake District from as far away as Sheffield and Northamptonshire for exercise, while other people are unsure whether they allowed to drive five minutes down the road for a walk in their local park.

"A clear definition of how far we can travel for exercise would give people certainty about what they are able to do while the at the same time help us to stop the spread of this deadly virus."