82-year-old pensioner given Covid breach warning over socially distanced cup of tea

She was cautioned over a cup of tea in her communal garden

Police have given an 82-year-old pensioner a Covid breach warning after she had a socially-distanced cup of tea with neighbours in her communal garden. The pensioner, from Charlton Kings, was in bed watching television when she heard a knock at the door at 9.45pm. Police visited the woman on March 9th after receiving reports that she had breached coronavirus restrictions for having cup of tea with neighbours in her communal garden. The pensioner's daughter, Lesley Magovern, of Cheltenham, said: “My mother heard a knock at the door and it was very late and she wondered really who it could be. "My mother is quite deaf and she asked who it was and she thought the voice said ‘It’s me’. Then mother assumed it was in fact me and she then opened the door. “There were two officers stood there, a man and a woman with masks on and they asked if they could come in and speak to her. "They did not show her any identification so she just trusted the uniform and she was quite frightened. My mother has never been in trouble with the police in her life.” The residents share a communal garden and her mother moved into the housing complex just before lockdown was announced. Lesley Magovern said that she could not believe that police travelled from Gloucester to Charlton Kings so late at night for "something so ridiculous." “When they were there," she continued, "they told mother if it were to happen again she would be fined. Then they asked her to provide identification so she was rooting around trying to find some." She explained that her mother showed the police an out-of-date driving license as that is the only form of identification she had to hand. Lesley Magovern filed a complaint against the police, after she was informed of what happened that night. A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Police said: “An officer has spoken to the complainant and an explanation was provided in response to concerns raised. She was content with this and the matter has been resolved."