A man has hit out at a council's "heavy-handed approach" when issuing warnings to people flouting lockdown guidelines during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Over the last three weeks, enforcement officers from Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) have been patrolling the district to make sure people are adhering to social distancing rules.

And so far more than 200 warning letters have been issued to people still out and about - including people who have travelled from outside Kent to visit either Folkestone, Hythe or Romney Marsh.

A group of eight kite surfers from London who were found at Greatstone all received a letter, as did a couple found cooking sausages on the beach.

This past weekend alone, officers handed out 78 such letters to people ignoring government advice to stay home except for shopping trips, exercise and to go to work.

But one man has hit back at the issuing of the council's warning letters, suggesting it could 'alienate' some residents.

Mike Quinn says his sister drove from her home in Lympne to St Mary's Bay for a walk and returned to her vehicle to find a letter.

It reads: "We believe that you have travelled to this current location with no reasonable excuse because of this your vehicle details have been recorded.

"Should your vehicle continue to be used in this manner you will be reported and maybe prosecuted under the Coronavirus Act 2020."

Mr Quinn thinks this goes against recent police guidelines, which state it is acceptable to drive to a location for a walk "where far more time is spent walking than driving".

He said: "I fully support the police and local authorities with all the hard work they’re doing to keep us safe.

"Folkestone and Hythe District Council are at risk though of alienating ordinarily law abiding citizens.

"How on earth anyone could know the purpose of the journey without speaking to my sister is beyond me.

"Do Folkestone and Hythe District Council think they are above the National Police Chiefs Council, who say that as long as the journey time is less than the exercise time then it will be legal?

"We hear over and over again about the importance of exercise and some people will need to travel a short distance for this.

"My sister has spent the weekend terrified that the council now hold her details and is worried about being targeted when undertaking legitimate journeys allowed by the government.

"I hope Folkestone and Hythe District Council revise their heavy handed approach to enforcement and that they remove the personal details of those they have taken without speaking to from their systems."

A spokeswoman for FHDC said: "Our officers were out at the weekend issuing warnings after a large number of vehicles turned up in the district and the coast was full of people visiting the area.

"The warnings were designed to encourage people from out of area to stay within their locality and not to travel unnecessarily as we have had many people driving down from London, Essex and North Kent.

"We appreciate that there may be local people who are in the area for legitimate reasons, but with the number of vehicles that were parked up over the weekend, we were unable to identify who should or should not have been there.

"As the local authority we do not undertake vehicle checks.

"This information is passed to the police. Anyone receiving a notice should be assured that it carries no presumption that any person is failing to comply with the guidelines.

'My sister has spent the weekend terrified that the council now hold her details...'

"It has been produced to assist our engagement in trying to help protect everyone in the community.

"No action will be taken against anyone who has travelled a reasonable distance to the area."

FHDC is also repeating its request for people to stay away from the district as more and more people are infected from the deadly virus each day.

The spokeswoman added: "The area from Folkestone to Hythe was largely quiet this weekend although three families having barbecues on the beach had to be asked to leave.

"People observed exercising, cycling and jogging appeared to be respecting social distancing guidance.

"It was busier in the Dymchurch to Dungeness area where council staff on Saturday and Sunday issued 78 warnings to people, some of whom had driven down to the coast from elsewhere in Kent and further afield.

"We would again appeal to people to not drive long distances for a day out at the coast.

"We have been repeating the government advice which continues to be to stay at home and if you want to exercise go out once day for a walk, run or cycle.

"People should minimise the time they are out of the home and stay at least two metres away from anyone else that isn’t from their household."

Elsewhere across the district, cemeteries and parks have now reopened in line with the latest government advice.

Previously the council had closed them off to the public.

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Read more: All the latest news from Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh