Covid: Lacock 'Harry Potter' village busy as summertime

Residents of a village made famous by the Harry Potter films say the area is as busy as summertime despite lockdown.

On Sunday, police were patrolling Lacock in Wiltshire to deter tourists from visiting.

Resident Kelly Orner said one group "openly admitted they'd come from Wales and just wanted to enjoy a day out".

Wiltshire Police has said most people were following the rules but they had seen "terrible examples" of rule-breaking.

Ms Orner added the police presence "eased the mindsets of residents and tenants" but as soon as the police left more people arrived.

Lacock Abbey, owned by the National Trust, was used to film scenes for the Harry Potter films.

It also featured in the BBC's 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice.

Resident, Nathan Todd, said: "It's more foot traffic than ever before, all because of lockdown.

"You get people coming out with maps and backpacks on.

"They've got their whole family there having picnics."

Another resident, Mark Johns, added this weekend was "as busy as a normal summer's day".

He said: "It's been a real concern primarily because people are not from the local area and it's quite clear that they've come out to the village to have a walk around."

Wiltshire's Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said: "I've set the policing tone that we will robustly but fairly and consistently follow the regulations that have been set out by the government."

He added that in the past seven days, the force had received 357 reports of social distancing breaches. He said these reports helped to inform where patrols should take place.

Wiltshire Police has issued 327 fixed penalty notices since the lockdown in March.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]