A police force has been branded "bonkers" after it fined two women £200 each for walking near a reservoir five miles from their homes.

Jessica Allen and her friend Eliza Moore, had driven to a remote beauty spot for some exercise, but she said officers informed her that a hot drink she had brought with her was not allowed as it was “classed as a picnic”, and called the actions of the police "bonkers".

Following the incident, which took place at the Foremark Reservoir on Wednesday, Derbyshire Police force has said all fixed penalty notices issued during the new national lockdown will be reviewed after it received clarification about the coronavirus regulations.

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Allen, who lives in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, said of the decision to fine her for being at Foremark Reservoir on Wednesday: “It’s bonkers, isn’t it.

“As we drove in there was a police van, a police car, and there were loads of police there.

“I genuinely thought someone had been murdered; the place is normally so quiet.

“The next thing, my car is surrounded. I got out of my car thinking ‘There’s no way they’re coming to speak to us’. Straight away they start questioning us.

“I said we had come in separate cars, even parked two spaces away and even brought our own drinks with us. He said ‘You can’t do that as it’s classed as a picnic’.”

Ms Allen said she is taking the pandemic “very seriously” because her brother is a doctor working on a Covid ward in London, and her parents have both had coronavirus.

She said she drove to the reservoir as she knew it would be less crowded than near her house.

She added: “I’m self-employed but my business is closed and I’m trying to fill my time."

Her friend, Eliza Moore, said she was so stunned she did not challenge police and gave her details so they could send a fixed penalty notice.

The force had said the women could have taken exercise closer to their home addresses, and described their actions as “clearly not in the spirit of the national effort” to reduce travel and the possible spread of coronavirus.

But in a statement on Friday evening, Derbyshire Police said it had received further guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) which had clarified that the “covid regulations which officers enforce and which enables them to issue FPNs (fixed penalty notices) for breaches, do not restrict the distance travelled for exercise”.

The force said: “All fixed penalty notices during this relevant period that have been issued will be reviewed for compliance.

“All recipients will be contacted.”

Assistant Chief Constable Kem Mehmet added: “Since the start of the pandemic Derbyshire Constabulary have been working to understand the ever-changing guidance and legislation and to communicate this to our officers in a way that makes it clear what is the right course of action to take.

“We are grateful for the guidance from the NPCC and our officers will continue to use the 4Es approach and will of course encourage people to follow the guidance and where appropriate deal with breaches of the regulations.

“The actions of our officers continues to be to protect the public, the NHS and to help save lives.”

Current lockdown guidance instructs the public to limit exercise – including running, cycling, swimming and walking – to once per day, and says while people can leave their home, they should not travel outside their local area.

Exercising is permitted within a group from the same property or, when on your own, with one person from another household.

The Derbyshire force came under fire in March after filming walkers with drones to deter visitors from the Peak District.

The force also took further drastic measures to prevent gatherings after dyeing a “blue lagoon” black in Harpur Hill, Buxton, in the same month.

On Sunday, the Home Secretary, Priti Patel defended the way the police have handed out fines for lockdown breaches, warning that officers “will not hesitate” to take action.

Ms Patel said the increasing number of new Covid-19 cases proved there was a need for “strong enforcement” in cases where people were clearly breaking the rules.

A Home Office source told The Telegraph there would be a more “rapid movement to enforcement” around the issuing of £200 fines for those not following the rules.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock gave his backing to police, warning that “every flex can be fatal” when it comes to the restrictions currently in place.

He told Sky News: “Absolutely I’m going to back the police.

“Because the challenge here is that every flex can be fatal… these rules are not there as boundaries to be pushed, they’re the limit of what people should be doing.”

Asked if people should expect to be fined for driving for a walk in relation to the Derbyshire incident, Mr Hancock said: “I don’t know the specific circumstances and I support the police in doing their very difficult job.

“They’re right to take very seriously the rules we’ve brought in.”

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said the guidance to “move more quickly to issuing a fine” when Covid rules were being totally disregarded had been in place since October.

Amid fresh reports that police would no longer need to give repeated warnings before issuing fines, the NPCC said there was “no specific rule on the number of warnings officers should give” before dishing out a fixed penalty notice.

John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, told BBC Breakfast on Sunday the guidance “needs to be absolutely crystal-clear, not only for the public but also for my colleagues” and a review would be necessary after the Derbyshire incident.

Ms Patel said: “Our police officers are working tirelessly to keep us safe. Not only are they continuing to take criminals off our streets, but they are also playing a crucial role in controlling the spread of the virus.

“The vast majority of the public have supported this huge national effort and followed the rules.

“But the tragic number of new cases and deaths this week shows there is still a need for strong enforcement where people are clearly breaking these rules to ensure we safeguard our country’s recovery from this deadly virus.

“Enforcing these rules saves lives. It is as simple as that. Officers will continue to engage with the public across the country and will not hesitate to take action when necessary.”

The NPCC guidance, published on January 6 to reflect the latest national lockdown, states officers should still offer people “encouragement” to comply with the regulations and explain any changes.

“However if the individual or group does not respond appropriately, then enforcement can follow without repeated attempts to encourage people to comply with the law,” the NPCC said.

“We police by consent. The initial police response should be to encourage voluntary compliance.”

The NPCC said the four-step principles of “engage, explain, encourage and only enforce as a last resort” will continue to apply.

A spokesman for the NPCC said: “We’ve been guiding officers since October to move more quickly to issuing a fine where people are clearly breaching Covid regulations and not listening to encouragement.

“This approach continues in this dangerous stage of the pandemic. There is no specific rule on the number of warnings officers should give – officers continue to use their judgment.”

Derbyshire Police has confirmed it would be reviewing all fixed penalty notices issued during the new national lockdown in England after it received clarification about the coronavirus regulations from the NPCC following the incident with the two women.

Ms Allen, who received the fine with friend Ms Moore, later told BBC News: “We are happy to hear that Derbyshire Police have been told to not be so heavy-handed with fines and return to the four Es (Engage, Explain, Encourage, Enforce) they were originally doing.

“We are yet to hear anything regarding our fine but if we have managed to save somebody the worry of going for a walk and fearing they would be fined then we have done what we set out to do.”

Ex-Durham Police chief constable Mike Barton told BBC Breakfast there had been “damage done” to public trust by Derbyshire Constabulary’s actions and that “for the public to comply with the law, they have got to think and see the police are acting fairly”.