HUNDREDS of people have been slapped with a fine for flouting coronavirus lockdown rules in the Thames Valley.

From the start of lockdown on March 27 to April 13, police officers handed out 219 Fixed Penalty Notices.

However on April 3 it was revealed that no fines had been given out at the time but 16 people had been arrested.

The chief constable of the force, John Campbell, said most of the fines had been given to groups of people hanging out in public places or driving in a car together.

Oxford Mail:

Ten fines were given to one group alone.

The numbers were revealed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) yesterday.

Mr Campbell said: “We have also made a number of arrests which have led to people being jailed for breaching coronavirus restrictions or coughing at officers or members of the public.

“Some of these breaches have been identified by patrol officers but a significant number have been reported by the public. In particular this Easter weekend, as with many forces, we had a significant increase in these types of calls.”