Police can't fine rule breakers at Bicester Village

Officers were replying to an angry shopper on Twitter who shared pictures of the heaving crowds waiting outside for shops to reopen at the luxury retail outlet for the first time in months. 

The woman said the crowds were a 'joke' and called on Thames Valley Police to 'get down there and hand out fines'.

On Monday Bicester Village responded to a petition for it to close after pictures of the packed queues were circulated on social media. 

Bosses were made to defend the mass swarm again yesterday after a worker hit out at the lack of temperature checks despite promises to do so. 

She said: "@bicestervillage so is this your idea of infection control?! What a joke! @ThamesVP get yourself down there, plenty of fines 2 be handed out! @BorisJohnson maybe rethink ur plan for some companies who CLEARLY don’t give a s*** about anything but money. #SocialDistancing #COVID19."

But police replied saying the cannot do anything about it, explaining: "Queue management at shipping centres would fall to the managing company.

"Police forces cannot enforce social distancing as it is government guidance, not the law.

"We would ask everyone to do all they can to stop the spread of Coronavirus."

Queue management at shopping centres would fall to the managing company. Police forces cannot enforce social distancing as it is government guidance, not the law. We would ask everyone to do all they can to stop the spread of Coronavirus. More info here: https://t.co/dXxbJ8y7gS

— Thames Valley Police (@ThamesVP) June 16, 2020