POLICE across the UK have thanked the public for staying at home and away from beauty spots on Good Friday, amid fears that a warm start to the weekend could see lockdown rules broken.

Patrols have been ramped up country-wide as councils warned that anyone embarking on an Easter getaway could expect to be turned away by police.

North Yorkshire Police tweeted pictures taken by officers in Scarborough showed a deserted seafront and an empty North York Moors car park, which would both usually be bustling on a sunny weekend. The force added: “Thank you everyone for staying at home and saving lives. We know it’s hard when there are places like this to visit. One day we’ll be there again.”

Visuals from technology firm TomTom showed traffic in London, Manchester and Birmingham was significantly down on Thursday compared with the equivalent day in 2019.

This suggests most people are following the Government’s coronavirus lockdown instruction not to visit tourist hotspots this weekend.