South Lakes MP Tim Farron has written to the prime minister asking Boris Johnson to provide immediate clarity on how far people are allowed to travel for exercise.

Currently, Government guidance states that “leaving home to exercise should be done locally wherever possible but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary.”

This has since led to confusion, with Cumbria police reporting incidents of people travelling hundreds of miles to exercise in the Lake District.

In his letter to Mr Johnson, Mr Farron asked for the Government to provide guidance similar to that in Scotland, where there is a clear limit on how far people can exercise.

The Westmorland and Lonsdale MP said: “The Government’s very muddy guidance means we have this ludicrous situation where the police are reporting that people are travelling to the Lake District from as far away as Sheffield and Northamptonshire for exercise, while other people are unsure whether they allowed to drive five minutes down the road for a walk in their local park.

“A clear definition of how far we can travel for exercise would give people certainty about what they are able to do while at the same time helps us to stop the spread of this deadly virus.”