More time spent in parks in South Yorkshire as lockdown continues

The tech giant's latest weekly report shows people across the UK were venturing out to parks, beaches and other public areas much more – with footfall about a quarter higher than normal levels.

Google uses location data from phones and other personal devices to track trends in people's movement in the home, retail and recreation establishments, grocery stores, public transport hubs, workplaces, and parks and green spaces.

The weekly report shows an increase in activity within South Yorkshire's parks during the week to May 9, compared with the week before – suggesting people are hanging out in public green spaces more regularly, or for longer periods of time.

Over the seven days, time spent in parks was 17 per cent higher than during a five-week baseline period at the start of the year.

The week before, it had been 8 per cent lower than usual levels.

In the first report, which covered the week to March 29 when the lockdown came into effect, park activity was down 19 per cent.

The data suggests people in South Yorkshire are staying away from green spaces less than in other locations across the UK.

Nationally, people were spending 4 per cent more time than usual in parks last week.

Visits to public transport hubs were 60 per cent down on usual levels in the county.

Last week, the Government relaxed its lockdown advice in England, changing its messaging to ‘stay alert, control the virus, save lives’.

However, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland kept the original ‘stay at home’ messaging.

Health experts expressed concern that the new slogan lacked clarity and may lead to an increase in ‘risky behaviour’ from the public.

Meanwhile, authorities encouraged people to stay away from beaches and beauty spots.

People unable to work from home were ‘actively encouraged to go to work’, although use of public transport should still be limited.