Couple fined after bizarre clown photoshoot on bridge sparks emergency response

23 February 2021, 21:58

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

A couple have been fined for breaching lockdown rules after their strange clown photo shoot on a bridge triggered an emergency response.

Officers were forced into closing a main road after a member of the public reported that they had seen a woman on the wrong side of the safety barriers in Sevenoaks, Kent.

The pair were apparently conducting a photo shoot for a social media page when the police arrived on Sunday afternoon.

A woman was found wearing clown make-up and posing for snaps while a man took pictures of her, Kent Police said.

They were both hit with fines and were among 86 people to receive penalty charge notices in the county between Friday and Monday.

In addition to the Sevenoaks couple, a beach party led to five people being fined in Folkestone.

Officers were called to Marine Parade at 10pm on Sunday following reports of men fighting.

Read more: Police apologise over 'being offensive is an offence' billboard

Read more: Teenagers charged with kidnapping 'after stealing car with boys inside'

Upon arrival, it transpired the group were holding a birthday party for a friend and all five men were fined.

Since the coronavirus restrictions became law in March 2020, 1,975 people have been fined in Kent.

Assistant Chief Constable Claire Nix said: "The warmer weekend naturally resulted in more people wanting to visit some of the more popular destinations in the county.

"Whilst this is understandable, with the current situation, I would ask people to carefully consider the impact that their actions may have.

"By attending in large numbers people are putting unnecessary strain on the emergency services and other agencies and I would ask for people to be considerate and not travel unless necessary and to stay local."

Listen & subscribe: Global Player | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify