Police warn people to stay at home after rise in number of lockdown rule breakers in Milton Keynes

Officers put out a warning late last night to remind people they should not be away from their homes without a reasonable excuse.

A spokesman said: "TVP Milton Keynes have issued a number of fines over the last couple of days in relation to breaches of Covid regulations."

He added: "During this lockdown we should not be away from our homes without a reasonable excuse and cannot meet up with persons outside of our household or support bubbles, other than for certain exceptional circumstances.

"We all need to do our bit to prevent the spread of this virus and blatant breaches of these regulations will not be tolerated. Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives."

Police have the power to give people a fixed penalty notice if they are found to be breaking Covid restrictions. Fines start at £200 and for large social gatherings they can be as high as £10,000.

In extreme cases, police can prosecute rule-breakers and they could end up in court or with a bigger fine than initially given.

People can be also be issued with a fixed penalty notice for not wearing a mask in shops or on public transport if they do not have an exemption.

Anybody who has been vaccinated still needs to stick to the rules to avoid spreading infection.