Lockdown sceptics 'will face fines' if caught going door to door

A group were posting leaflets and knocking on doors in Shrewsbury at the weekend, prompting a civic leader to report them to Shropshire Council.

Now police have issued a warning to the group.

A police spokesman said: “We’re aware leaflets are being distributed to homes in Shrewsbury and would advise those involved of the current regulations, available at gov.uk/coronavirus.

“While we will continue to engage and explain the regulations and encourage people to comply, where people are breaching the regulations and are away from home without a reasonable excuse, they may be issued with fixed penalty notice, depending on the individual circumstances of each incident.”

The group, known as Back To Normal, were seen knocking doors and delivering leaflets in the Coleham and Belle Vue areas at the weekend.

It claims that lockdown measures "cost lives and do more harm than good". It aims to deliver one million A6 folded postcards to members of the public, and is touting for volunteers on its website.

Vaccinations

The group says: "Back to Normal is a new, public-facing, grass roots group. We are not Covid sceptics, just lockdown sceptics.

"The idea is to point out that lockdown measures cost lives and, in our view, are doing more harm than good. We want to give those who support government policy some pause for thought, help inform others who are already somewhat doubtful of the government message and last, but by no means least, encourage sceptics to speak out who might otherwise be 'shamed' into silence."

Belle Vue councillor Kate Halliday reported the group to the council, and believes they undermine the good work being done by NHS staff, partners and volunteers in the vaccine roll out.

“I absolutely do not agree with the sentiments in this leaflet," she said. "The vaccination programme has been extremely successful in Shropshire and the rest of the country and I am hoping people are not swayed by this kind of messaging.”

Shropshire Council has been contacted for a comment.

In January, anti-vaccination propaganda leaflets were delivered in the town by a different group.

Leaders branded the behaviour as "reckless and dangerous scaremongering".