POLICE in Crewe slapped a family with on-the-spot Covid fines after they travelled from Lancashire to visit friends.

The Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were among 70 issued across Cheshire over the last week for breaches of Covid regulations.

In Crewe three were dished out to the family, who had travelled down from Preston to visit their friend's house. Another in Warrington was issued to a homeowner who had invited friends round for a 'get together'.

While in Chester, two were given to a personal trainer who was found to be having clients round in the garden. In Widnes officers caught out multiple friends from separate households out in a vehicle.

Now Cheshire Police are urging people again to stay at home to help protect the NHS and save lives.

The force says while the vast majority of Cheshire residents are are sticking to the lockdown rules, there are still a small number of people who are choosing to "blatantly ignore the rules that remain in place".

Since the start of the year, Cheshire Police has issued more than 300 FPNs for blatant and repeated breaches.

The fines were issued for a variety of breaches such as being out without a reasonable excuse and mixing with other households who were not in their support bubble.

Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said: "I know the majority of residents will continue to stay at home and do all they can to limit their contact with others.

"There are, however, still a minority who will flout the rules and when our officers are faced with these blatant and repeat breaches, they will enforce this to protect the NHS and save lives.

"The rules are clear – you must stay at home except for very limited exceptions.

"We all need to continue to use our common sense when leaving our home and ask – 'is my journey necessary?'

"By checking each time we go to leave our house, we will be limiting the potential spread of the virus. At the end of the day, we all have a personal responsibility to do everything we can to prevent further deaths."

Police officers are out and about patrolling key areas across the county including beauty spots to ensure that residents are staying safe.

ACC Sims added: "Our officers will continue to be inquisitive and will be engaging and explaining with those who are outside of their home and ensure that they are doing so safely, for blatant breaches we will continue to enforce."

Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane said: "We need everyone to pull together to drive down the number of cases across Cheshire."

Further advice and guidance can be found here.

Go here to report a coronavirus breach.