CHESHIRE Police has issued a total of 166 fines for breaches of the coronavirus lockdown rules.

The latest figures run from March 27 through to May 11, and have been released today, Friday, by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC).

This shows a rise of 36 since the totals were last released, which covered the period between March 27 to April 27.

Cheshire Police remains one of the least prolific forces for handing out such fines, as the total is the 11th lowest across 41 forces across the country.

Metropolitan Police handed out the most fines, which total 906, and is closely followed by Thames Valley Police on 866 and North Yorkshire Police on 843.

The lowest number of fines was issued by Warwickshire Police on 31, followed by Staffordshire Police on 52 and City of London Police on 64.

Nationally, 13,445 fines have been handed out by forces in England, showing a rise of 3,749.

NPCC chair Martin Hewitt said: “The vast majority of people continue to do the right thing, which protects the NHS and helps save lives.

“The figures show our approach is proportionate, with just 0.02 per cent of the population in England and Wales being issued with a fine.

“I want to thank people for continuing to follow the regulations. I recognise it’s not easy and that this is a challenging time for us all.

“Our approach of engage, explain and encourage, and only as a last resort, enforce, will continue as it is working across the UK.

“I urge the public to keep going and keep following the advice.

“Officers are working hard to keep us all safe from the full range of crimes in what remain challenging circumstances, so we would ask everyone to work with us and remember that if you need our help, we are here for you.”