Just over half of the people in North Somerset followed all lockdown rules during the coronavirus pandemic, a survey carried out by the Mercury and Times has revealed.

In total, 55 per cent of the people who took part in the survey said they observed all the rules which have been brought in since the first lockdown in March 2020.

North Somerset Council's deputy leader, and executive member for health, Mike Bell believes a lack of clarity may be to blame for a large number of people not following all the correct procedures.

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He said: "The changes to the Covid-19 restrictions over the last year have not helped anybody get a clear sense of exactly what rules are in place at any one time.

"So, I'm not surprised that some people own up to not always following the guidelines.

"Even with the vaccine rollout by our amazing NHS, we still need to be doing our bit to follow the rules and only relax when it is safe to do so."

Weston Mercury: Cllr Mike Bell believes a lack of clarity may be a reason for people not following all lockdown rules.Cllr Mike Bell believes a lack of clarity may be a reason for people not following all lockdown rules. (Image: Usb)

The majority of residents who took part in the survey said they feel safer following the vaccination roll-out, with just 8.3 per cent having reservations.

But while 71 per cent of respondents said they are likely to visit non-essential shops when they open, 32 per cent of people said they will visit the pub less than they did before Covid.

According to the survey, 47 per cent of participants said they would not be booking a holiday - while 37 per cent confirmed they planned to holiday in the UK.

More than half of respondents also said their mental health is worse due to the pandemic.

Weston Mercury: One in five calls to Weston's Samaritans mentioned the coronavirus pandemic.One in five calls to Weston's Samaritans mentioned the coronavirus pandemic. (Image: Weston Samaritans)

Weston Samaritans branch director, Paul Slade stated that this was reflected in the workload the service has experienced.

He said: "There has been a significant increase in phone calls and around one in five calls mentions the coronavirus pandemic in some form - with mental health issues being most prominent.

"One thing we have observed on our end is that the first six months of the pandemic seemed to affect people with pre-existing mental health issues whereas, in the last six months, many people getting in touch are experiencing issues for the first time."

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The percentages given are taken from a sample size of 266 responses.