Man 'drove 100 miles for McDonald's to town that doesn't have one'

A man who told police he drove 100 miles from Luton to Wiltshire to get a McDonald’s has been fined £200.

The 34-year-old was stopped by police on Estcourt Street in the market town of Devizes on Thursday evening after travelling for more than two hours in his car.

He was then caught out in a lie, because the town doesn’t have a branch of the burger chain.

Wiltshire Police called the journey a "flagrant breach” of coronavirus lockdown regulations.

"The distance travelled across numerous counties to Devizes, which doesn't have a McDonald's restaurant, is a flagrant breach of the regulations currently in place,” Wiltshire Police said.

“We encourage the public to make sure they are up to date with the most recent government guidance by visiting www.gov.uk/coronavirus to ensure you understand the rules clearly and what they will mean for you.

“The majority of people across Wiltshire continue to act responsibly and we thank you for that. However, it is important to protect the NHS that we all stick to the rules.”

The man’s car was also seized for having no insurance.

Under current lockdown rules, people may only leave home to shop for necessities, go to work, seek medical assistance or to obtain childcare or attend education or childcare for those who are eligible.

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The government website states: “If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local – unless it is necessary to go further, for example to go to work.

“Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live.”

Last week, a man was fined £200 for a similar lockdown breach when after he travelled 14 miles to play Pokemon Go.

The man had driven from his home in Bedworth, Warwickshire, to look for the characters in the Japanese augmented reality smartphone game in Kenilworth, according to the BBC.

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Warwickshire police said he received the fine for “contravening the requirement to not leave or be outside the place they live without a reasonable excuse”.

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