Police to start spot checks on car-sharing workers on Northamptonshire industrial estates

High visibility patrols will take place on Northamptonshire's industrial estates after reports of groups of friends travelling to work together.

Speaking at this week's Coronavirus press conference, Superintendent Elliot Foskett, who is running the policing response to the Covid pandemic, said his officers were concerned about the issue.

It is currently against the law to commute to work in a private car with anyone outside of your household or support bubble unless it is essential as part of your role. Supt Foskett said that reports suggested that people were not acting within the law.

"We have received some reports of people in industrial areas who are travelling to work in threes and fours sharing cars," he said.

"We will be conducting proactive stops of vehicles during peak travelling times because again, this kind of mixing clearly heightens the risk. Expect to see some high visibility patrols on roads during rush hour.

"You can expect to see some people out and about on the roads in high visibility vehicles to stop that and prevent it from happening."

The plight of the county's factories and large workplaces has been raised at government level this week after Corby struggled to reduce its case rates, in part due to the number of large warehouses in the town each with hundreds of workers.

Northamptonshire is one of the country's main logistics hubs with numerous 'big sheds' providing work for many thousands of people. But some concerns have been raised about working environments and the safety of staff in these kind of workplaces.