SIX fines were issued to people caught flouting the coronavirus rules over the Easter weekend, Wiltshire’s police chief said.

Chief Constable Kier Pritchard described the weekend – which included a “Kill the Bill” protest in Swindon attended by around 80 people – as “fairly good”.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wiltshire on Tuesday morning, he said the force’s role would continue as lockdown restrictions eased.  

He said: “Much of our business is going to be the normal 24/7 demand that will return. Pubs opening, clearly there’s going to be a role for policing to play there to try to keep people safe.

“We do expect, regrettably, violent crime to start to rise through the summer. We’ve got all of the normal summer events to police through from the Euros through to Solstice through to different music events, festivals, G7, etc. So, it promises to be a busy period in any event.”

He promised that officers would act proportionately.