CHRISTCHURCH Police has published a list of some of the excuses officers were given by people out the house when they weren’t meant to be.

When questioning people on the beach, someone told the officers: “We are just tidying our beach hut as exercise.”

Someone else said: “I need to paint my beach hut.”

While another person said: “I don’t have a garden.”

Someone police spoke to said: “I am out for health and safety reasons, to check on the sea for fishing tomorrow.”

Members of the public have been told they are not to leave the house unless they doing one of four things.

They are allowed out if they are shopping for essentials, picking up medicine or caring for vulnerable people, getting one bit of exercise a day or travelling to and from work where it is absolutely essential.

Another member of the public said: “I am disabled and walk with sticks but can’t walk in Bransgore but can walk in Highcliffe.”

Someone said: “I am just having a rest and a cuppa,” and another person said: “The hotel where we work is shut and we have nothing to do.”

Christchurch police officers also said someone told them they were meeting their best friend, but then their car failed to start so it turned into a recovery.

The officers were also told by someone: “I need to walk by dog at the beach.”

At the beach, a member of the public told officers they were checking a loose nut on their bike and someone else said they were admiring the view.

The officers also spoke to someone who travelled from New Milton to Mudeford who gave the excuse that they needed to fill up their bike

Two people did realise they were doing wrong when questioned by police however.

One of these people said: “My friend has coronavirus, I feel guilty now,” and the other said: “My son is a doctor, he would kill me if he knew I was out.”

The officers deemed these excuses as not essential reasons to be out and urge people to think twice before leaving the home.