Coronavirus: One village, two tiers and lots of confusion

People in a seaside village on the Yorkshire coast have been left confused after it was split into two different tiers of coronavirus restrictions.

Staithes, in the North York Moors National Park, is divided by a stream, with the southern part under North Yorkshire's Tier 1 restrictions and the northern part under the tighter Tier 2 rules of Redcar and Cleveland.

Lawyer Colin Harrison, who lives on the north bank, but owns holiday cottages on the south bank, says he is unsure of the exact difference between the two tiers.

"It is unclear if the rules apply one way but not the other," he said.

"Sometimes the government guidelines you look at on the government website are not clear, and you look on other sites where the Q&As appear to give you answers, but do they apply to Tier 1 and Tier 2, or Tier 2 and Tier 3?"

On the southern side of the village, Chris and Leslie Johnston-Senior had just arrived for a four-day stay in a holiday cottage.

They live in Skipton, a Tier 1 town with a Bradford postcode, although Bradford is in Tier 2.

"It's so difficult at times to work out just where you should be and where you can't be," Chris said.

On the steep, winding street that leads inland from the fishing harbour, south side residents Bill and Kit Hansell were having a socially distanced chat with friends.

Asked if he knew the rules, Bill was certain he did, and after some discussion with his wife they confidently asserted their house is under Tier 2 restrictions.

In fact they live in North Yorkshire, where Tier 1 rules apply.

Kit thought about it for a few seconds and succinctly summed up her thoughts on the situation.

"A bit bizarre," she said.