Council's dismay as playgrounds continue to be used in Leighton Buzzard, despite coronavirus warnings

Last week Leighton-Linslade Town Council appealed to the residents to heed Government advice after receiving reports that the public were continuing to use its play areas.

It followed PM Boris Johnson's announcement that people could only leave their homes for one of four reasons: shopping for basic necessities; one form of exercise per day; any medical need or to care for a vulnerable person; or for travel to work if absolutely necessary.

But in the last 24 hours the council has been dismayed to see the message is still not getting across to all. It has stated that people have a "personal and moral responsibility" to play their part in keeping the virus at bay.

The council told the LBO today: "The town council is disappointed that despite best efforts with limited resources to restrict access to playgrounds and outdoor gym equipment, a small minority of residents are choosing to disregard Government instructions designed to protect the NHS and save lives.

"In the last 24 hours we have experienced people cutting tape, forcing locked gates and breaking padlocks in order to continue using these facilities. We would like to reinforce our plea to all residents to protect others in the community by following the Government’s clear instructions in the current pandemic crisis."

At this time of national emergency, the town council says it is focussing its limited resources on trying to maintain some essential services, such as the cemeteries function, as well as supporting the fantastic efforts of the Leighton-Linslade COVID-19 Task Force.

In its statement last week, it said: "Please note that we will do our best to maintain normal services in the parks but this will be dependent upon availability of staff and resources.

"We ask all park users to respect Government guidance regarding no use of play equipment and outdoor gym equipment, to only exercise once a day and to maintain social distancing.

"As a principle, play areas and equipment have been designed in such a way as to encourage public use by making them easy to access. Our play areas have not been designed to be locked or sealed off as this goes against their very purpose.

"No matter what level of signage we put up, there is no way we can ensure or enforce that people respect Government instructions. As individuals, we all have a personal and moral responsibility to respect laws and the guidance provided by Government.

"Whilst we share the very same frustrations, we believe it is important that as a small organisation, we focus our limited resources on essential requirements and on supporting local efforts to help those in desperate need of food and medicines. We therefore wish to plead with residents to respect Government instructions and to use the parks responsibly."

Have you seen examples of people ignoring the restrictions? Email [email protected]