A pub landlord visited by police after an anonymous snitch wrongly informed on him for a supposed lockdown breach posted a message on the village hall advising locals that the person involved should “f*** off”.
Keith Waterhouse, who runs the Badger’s Holt pub in Bridgetown, Somerset, has had the police in contact with him on two occasions as a result of “some nasty, vindictive person in the village” taking it upon themselves to contact the authorities following visits by his daughter — which were not unlawful, as she part of his officially permitted “bubble”.
“Officers contacted me, and I explained that she was allowed to come here because she’s a single parent, and she’s allowed to do it,” Mr Waterhouse told the Plymouth Herald.
“Now, she’s back here to live at the moment, and again, she’s allowed to as a single parent with small children. It’s totally within the Covid-19 rules.
“Somebody here has contacted the police, so they have come all the way from Minehead to see me,” the publican explained — prompting him to post a decidedly robust message on Bridgetown Village Hall:
Dear Village,
Whoever the nasty, vindictive b****** is that reports me to the police for a completely incorrect breach of Covid rules, have the bollocks to talk to me first and find out the truth.
And secondly, oh just f*** off.
Keith at the pub.
“I’ve not done anything to anybody, so I don’t know why they’re like that and why they have to make an attitude and do something like this,” the pub landlord said in frustration.
“They should have asked what the situation is first; I’m here all the time, I’m happy to tell people what the situation is.
“But instead, someone has got in touch with the police. I don’t need this,” he added.
British police and government ministers have urged the public to inform on their neighbours for supposed lockdown breaches on numerous occasions, and the public — contrary to the time-worn view that privacy and the idea that “an Englishman’s home is his castle” are essential elements of the British national character — have obliged with enthusiasm.
Similar behaviour has been seen elsewhere in the British family of nations, too, with a police website for people to inform on their neighbours in New Zealand proving so popular that it crashed.
UK Police: It's Your 'Civic Duty' to Inform on Fellow Britons Breaching Lockdown https://t.co/SFVEnJn2b6
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) October 31, 2020
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.