THE ISLAND'S police are asking people on the Isle of Wight to 'bear with them' and to ensure they continue to follow the government's coronavirus rules, after a tweet about buying compost proved controversial.

Officers admitted on Thursday, 'on reflection, we got it wrong'.

The latest comments follow an angry reaction to a tweet that said officers on patrol in Cowes had been "disappointed to see people out buying bags of compost and plants."

Wednesday's Twitter post: "This isn’t essential shopping or essential travel.

"Please follow the government guidance #StayHomeSaveLives"

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Isle of Wight County Press:

Some Islanders reacted angrily.

Tina Wroath tweeted: "Nowhere does it say you can’t pick up a bag of compost and some seeds or a couple of plants. Some people like myself are totally alone and need something to focus on. The weather is good and at least it keeps the spirits up and serves a purpose."

Tina was not the only one to voice her concern.

The repsonse prompted an officer to write on Facebook today, "On reflection we are not sure we got this quite right."

See comment in full below...

Isle of Wight County Press:

Isle of Wight County Press:

Isle of Wight County Press:

Isle of Wight County Press:

Officers say they will think again, while pledging to ensure that Islanders are only making essential trips out and are following government advice.

On the Isle of Wight Police's Facebook page, Inspector Matt wrote: "On reflection we are not sure we got this quite right. Ultimately home and hardware stores are permitted to be open, and if you need items from stores that are permitted to be open we may still ask you about the purpose of your journey, but we will not be enforcing a ban on travelling to these stores.

"The guidance from the government states that travel should only be for essential purposes, and there is a non-exhaustive list as to what is essential. The legislation and related guidance is new, and we are not always going to get it right so please do bear with us on this.

"We will continue to focus on engaging with our community, explaining the guidance and encouraging people to follow it where they can."

#Stay Safe #Protect the NHS #Stay at Home