Police spotted reminding Edinburgh residents to 'keep moving' as sun beams down on Porty beach

Police have been seen reminding the public to keep within the government guidelines during lockdown.

Police have been seen reminding the public to keep within the government guidelines during lockdown this weekend.

Despite the warm spring sunshine, residents have been urged to stay indoors this Easter weekend and to only leave the house for essentials including food shopping and one form of exercise a day.

Two young people have been pictured at Portobello Beach this afternoon being asked to keep moving by an officer.

Two young people pictured at Portobello Beach this afternoon being asked to keep moving by an officer.

One passerby said: “The police are being very polite.

“But they are asking people to keep moving if they’re out for their daily exercise.”

Ms Sturgeon issued a fresh plea for Scots to stay at home this Easter weekend as temperatures rise in a bid to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

The "vast majority" of Scots are complying with the lockdown measures, Ms Sturgeon said yesterday at her coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh, and those who have broken the rules are a "tiny minority" of the population.

She added: "Of course I worry about people tiring of this. We all find it more difficult to comply with these rules with every day that passes.

"That, even in Scotland with Scottish weather, will get more difficult as we go into Spring and the weather gets better, the nights get lighter. Nobody is under any illusion about that.

"But that is why it remains important for me as First Minister, the Chief Constable and Jason (Leitch) to be very clear with people that we will not ask you to do this for a minute longer than is necessary.

"But right now we think it necessary and we think it vital. If we stop this prematurely - this virus hasn't gone away as we see from the figures – and if we stop these measures prematurely this virus will start to spread out of control very quickly.

"That will very quickly overpower our National Health Service and will very quickly see numbers of people who lose their lives to this virus rise even beyond the horrible numbers that I have to stand here and report every day.

"That is why we need to stick with this."

Police Scotland have issued more than 500 fixed penalty fines to people who have not complied with the latest lockdown rules.