ALMOST 500 covid fines have been issued by Wiltshire Police since the pandemic began, new figures show.

Statistics released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council show the county force issued 474 fixed penalty notices for breaches of the coronavirus regulations between March 27, 2020, and February 14 this year.

They included five fines for flouting face covering rules, two fines for people failing to self-isolate after returning from abroad and one fine for a business operating outside of the law.

One person was issued with a £10,000 fine for holding a gathering of more than 30 people.

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Nationally, a total of 68,952 fixed penalty notices were issued by forces, including 63,201 in England and 5,751 in Wales.

The NPCC said steep rises in the number of tickets handed out following the introduction of Tier 4 restrictions before Christmas and the latest national lockdown in England on January 4 reflected a move towards quicker enforcement by police.

NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt said: "Eleven months on and back into a national lockdown, the rules are really clear and so it is frustrating that we still have a small number of completely defiant and irresponsible people who have no regard for the safety of themselves or others."