This was the scene at Pen y Fan on New Year’s Eve after days of police patrols in the area.

There were once again cars in the Pont-ar-Daf car park in the Brecon Beacons on Thursday despite officers urging people not to drive to beauty spots in Wales.

Under the current alert level four restrictions only essential journeys are permitted and exercise must start and end at home. You can read the full rules on exercise and driving in Wales here.

While businesses such as burger vans are permitted to trade in beauty spots like Pen y Fan customers who use them risk breaking the rules, one Welsh council has said.

Dyfed-Powys Police reported “a couple of hundred” vehicles parked at the Brecon Beacons on Tuesday with many still venturing out to the area on Thursday to take on a snowy hike.

As people marked the last day of 2020 officers once again carried out patrols in the Storey Arms area to check walkers were following the rules and turn around those breaking coronavirus restrictions.

It comes after fines were issued earlier this week when police stopped a minibus full of people from different households travelled to Pen y Fan from Cheltenham.

Another man had travelled to the mountain from Hertfordshire while three 4x4s were pulled over and found to have travelled to Wales from the West Midlands.

Walkers were also warned to avoid beauty spots such as Snowdonia and Keepers Pond in Blaenavon this week to see the snow with a spokesman for Snowdonia National Park reminding people: “Although the snow does look pretty on the mountains the current Welsh Government guidelines say people should only travel if it’s essential.”

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Over the last few days police forces across the country have also been seen enforcing the coronavirus rules.

On Thursday South Wales Police shared a picture of a police patrol from Barry days after one resident described the resort as “full of visitors”, with cars queuing to park.

Gwent Police have been monitoring the Welsh border with one patrol on the Prince of Wales bridge on Wednesday night enforcing Welsh coronavirus restrictions.

On Tuesday inspector Andrew Williams, from Dyfed-Powys Police’s specialist operations (RPU) team, said: “Officers have spoken to one man who had driven from Hertfordshire to walk up Pen y Fan while a minibus of people from mixed households had travelled from Cheltenham.

“Fixed penalty notices have and will be issued to those blatant breaches where engagement fails but the vast majority of people are listening to advice and when they are turning up and seeing RPU vehicles at the site, they are turning around and going home – which is the objective of our high-visibility patrols.”

Asked whether the force would be conducting New Year’s Eve patrols superintendent Craig Templeton said: “Throughout lockdown officers will conduct high-visibility patrols across the four counties of Dyfed-Powys.

“These will included road checks in key areas which allow officers to engage with motorists and ensure that Welsh Government regulations regarding essential travel are understood and being followed.

“I appreciate this is an extremely difficult time for people but there is good reason for the restrictions.

“The virus is spreading extremely quickly. You only have to look at the messages coming from our health boards to understand how serious this is.”