A WOMAN has slammed a homemade sign warning visitors against travelling into a Furness village.

Sheila Wright, from Roose, discovered what she described as a ‘crudely’ written sign on a dog walk in Rampside which said: “Lockdown three... residents only.”

“It was obviously a homemade sign and it made me laugh,” said Mrs Wright.

“It seemed cheeky and not communal.”

Under the current national lockdown regulations people are permitted to leave their homes for daily exercise as long as they ‘stay local’.

A definition or specific distance has not yet been added to the ‘stay local’ guidance, which has caused some confusion amongst the public.

A spokesman from the National Police Chief’s Council said: “UK Government guidance strongly requests that people do not leave their local area.

“However, the Covid regulations which officers enforce and which enables them to issue FPNs for breaches, do not restrict the distance travelled for exercise.

“Police officers will be inquisitive about why people are out of their homes and will 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 an FPN.”

Mrs Wright has been visiting Rampside all her life and said it was an important place for people to take exercise.

“When I was a child we would all walk up to Rampside beach,” she said.

“It is a very dear place to me for childhood reasons.

“It’s become a good place in lockdown because you can park at the side of the road and walk straight onto the beach.

“The sign seemed incredibly petty because all those people in Rampside won’t all get home deliveries, they might go to the shops in other towns.”

Mrs Wright said she understood that people may have concerns about visitors coming to the village from further afield but said she believed people were abiding by current Covid-19 guidance.

She added: “I’m sure this sign is not endorsed by the whole Rampside community but someone has put it there.

“Everyone is dealing with Covid and wants to get some exercise.

“It seemed very negative.”