VISITING the seaside, walking the dog, buying a car, and boredom were just some of the reasons given in court as to why people broke lockdown restrictions while living in or visiting Ceredigion.

Llanelli magistrates have been dealing with people who visited the county during lockdown without reasonable excuse, and those living in the county who flouted Covid-19 rules during the first lockdown earlier this year.

It comes after Dyfed-Powys Police reported people coming to the area during the spring lockdown from London, Luton, Bristol and beyond for non-essential reasons, like to buy dogs, with one Manchester man telling officers his potential pet ‘wouldn’t be a puppy anymore’ if he waited until lockdown was over.

Police said among those also crossing the border for non-essential travel were a Bath couple who wanted to walk Pen y Fan, a trio who travelled from Gloucester and Kettering to camp in the Brecon Beacons, and two men stopped in Brecon after driving from Derby to pick up a remote-controlled car.

Other reasons given included travelling to collect a bouncy castle purchased on Facebook.

Recent cases have included:

Titas Kavaliauskus, of Apartment 57, Manchester Court, Burslem, was fined £660 after travelling to Ceredigion because he wanted to “visit the seaside”. Kavaliauskus, 32, was stopped by police on the A487 at Rhydyfelin on 17 May.

Michael Muldoon, of 149 Round Hey, Stockbridge Village, Merseyside, and Owen Dempsey, of 18 Pendle Drive, Litherland, Sefton were each fined £660 for being part of group who travelled to Ceredigion to ride quad bikes. Muldoon and 31-year-old Dempsey came to Strata Florida near Pontrhydfendigaid to ride their quad bikes on the forestry tracks on 14 June.

Dawn Pugh-Jones, of 14 Queens Road, Aberystwyth was fined £660 after being seen with three other people on the pavement outside Harry’s Bar on North Parade on 12 April. Pugh-Jones, 48, was seen walking with a man onto Queens Road back to her home after visiting his house.

Mark Mansell, of 39 Church Street, Hadley, Telford, was seen walking with a woman on Windsor Terrace in Machynlleth on 18 May, Llanelli magistrates heard on 30 October. Mansell, 41, who was camping to the rear of Doll Street, was fined £660.

Michael John Fisher, of 63 Lodge Crescent, Netherton, travelled from his home to Ynyslas beach on 17 May to walk his dog. Fisher, 31, was fined £660.

David Flanagan, of 72 Becket Street, Liverpool, was part of a group travelling in 4x4 vehicles found to be over two hours driving from their home on the A470 at Llanidloes on 2 May. Flanagan, 31, was fined £660.

Leo Burton, of 3 Brongwinau, Comins Coch, was seen in the communal staircase of a building in which he did not live in 34 North Parade on 14 May. Burton, 23, was fined £180.

Patryk Janusz Markiewicz, of 4 Plover Close, Hereford, picked up a work colleague to go for a drive around Elan Valley near Rhayadar because he was “bored”, a court heard. Markiewicz travelled to the area on 6 May. He was fined £660.

Hammad Mahboobb, of 73 Westfield Road, Bradford, and Al Faisal Mukhtar, of 8 Ashbourne Haven in Bradford, drove from their home town to Llwyncelyn on 18 May to buy a car. Mahboobb, 22, and 33-year-old Mukhtar were fined £120 and £440 respectively.

All fines were issued by Llanelli magistrates between 26 October and 2 November, with defendants also having to also pay prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge.