A WOMAN has been arrested after she repeatedly ignored Covid-19 rules and organised exercise group gatherings on a seafront.

Deborah Cutting was charged for failing to comply with laws on gatherings  on Wednesday amid the third national lockdown.

Police had received reports about a group of people who were gathering every day to exercise together on the seafront in St Leonards.

Under the current rules, people can exercise outdoors with members of their own household or with one other person from another household.

However when officers approached the group and explained the legislation, they refused to comply with requests to move on and break up the gathering.

Ms Cutting, a 54-year-old from Hastings, was arrested and charged.

She will appear before Hastings Magistrates’ Court on February 3. 

It comes after a number of incidents in the past week in which businesses have been found to be in breach of the lockdown restrictions.

A pub in the Langney area of Eastbourne was fined £1,000 on Tuesday after it was found to be serving alcohol and officers discovered a customer hiding in the establishment's toilets.

It is the third time that the business - which has not been named by police - has flouted the rules since December 4, despite warnings.

A gym in the Hampden Park area of Eastbourne was also fined after it was found to be operating by police and East Sussex Trading Standards on Wednesday.

The gym's owner was slapped with a £2,000 penalty, which is the second time the business has been fined for breaking Covid-19 laws, after police issued a £1,000 in November for the same reason.

Superintendent Julia Pope said: “We know this is an extremely difficult time for everyone, but the actions we take and the decisions we make now can help save lives.

“This pandemic has been ongoing for many months now, and so we are all familiar with what we should be doing to play our part in stopping the spread of the virus.

“We know the overwhelming majority of people in Sussex are doing the right thing by staying home, wearing masks and social distancing, but unfortunately a small minority of people continue to ignore the rules. 

“The restrictions are in place for a reason, and everyone has a responsibility to make the right decisions. That includes business owners and their customers, those who organise events and those who attend them. Our officers are ready to deal robustly with those who continue to breach the regulations.

“It’s so important, now as much as ever, that we pull together and do what we need to do to protect our NHS and our communities from the virus.”