Stay local please don’t drive to our parks, says Council

MERTHYR Council is appealing to residents not to travel to their parks during the current lockdown following reports of a large number of vehicles at entrances and people not observing social distancing.

Security guards will be patrolling Thomastown Park after residents living nearby complained to us about at ‘least 30 cars’ parked outside on Queen’s Road and ‘huge numbers’ of people – mainly families – inside the park in the playground area.

“This is really frustrating for us locals who are following the lockdown rules, going for a walk from our doorsteps, who want to enjoy the beauty of our local park without worrying about loads of people who have driven there in a pandemic,” said the resident in a message.

The complaint follows Wellbeing@Merthyr having to ask people not to drive to Cyfarthfa Park after similar reports of parked vehicles and numbers gathering there.

“We understand people wanting to enjoy our beautiful parks, but under the regulations, nobody should be driving for exercise,” said Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Public Protection Cllr Geraint Thomas.

“This is not fair to local residents who are legitimately walking from their homes to Thomastown and Cyfarthfa Parks,” he added. “We will have additional security on the weekend at both parks until the restrictions are relaxed.

“We apologise for having to remind people not to travel, but until coronavirus infection rates are properly under control, this is what we have to do.”

Welsh Government Level 4 restrictions say exercise should start and finish from your home and generally, this must not involve people driving to a location away from home. Keep up-to-date with Welsh Government COVID-19 rules, including exercise, by clicking here: https://gov.wales/alert-level-4-frequently-asked-questions#section-58322