Cheshire Police are encouraging local residents to continue adhering to coronavirus restrictions, as our borough enters its second week in tier 2.

Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said: "I understand that there are lots of changes for people to take in and I want to reassure residents that we will continue to support them to navigate the measures in place.

"Our officers have been out and about throughout the weekend helping to explain the rules and to ensure people are following them, and this work will continue.

"To support this, we have also introduced a new dedicated team of officers whose role is specifically to respond to incidents involving possible breaches of the coronavirus legislation.

"The vast majority are sticking to the rules and this is really encouraging. However, we do need people to continue to take personal responsibility and make sure they are fully aware of the rules that apply to them in the area they live and ensure they stick to them."

While most people are sticking diligently to the new rules, there have been a small number of breaches.

This has resulted in enforcement action being taken against more than 20 individuals and businesses.

These include the landlord of a pub in Warrington who fully understood the rules but was blatantly flouting them and was issued with a £1,000 fine.

During a joint visit to the premises with the local authority, officers found that tables and chairs were not adequately spaced out, meaning that customers were unable to socially distance.

Elsewhere, three people from different households have £200 fines for socialising together at an address in Runcorn.

ACC Sims added: "The rules are there for a reason – to keep us all safe – and we all need to play our part to protect our family, our friends, the communities we live in and, most importantly, the NHS."