WARRINGTON had the highest number of Covid-19 lockdown breaches of any area in Cheshire over the weekend.

A total of 58 fixed penalty notices were handed out by Cheshire Police on Saturday and Sunday for breaches of the latest coronavirus measures.

And 14 of these fines were dished out in Warrington.

Four were issued at a child’s birthday party, with one attendee having travelled from Birmingham.

Other penalties were handed out for house parties, while a group of men were fined after travelling to the town from Greater Manchester ‘with no reasonable excuse’.

The next highest number of fines handed out in Cheshire was Chester, with 13 – followed by 12 in Halton, seven in Ellesmere Port and six in Crewe.

By comparison, only 21 notices were dished out across the county in December.

Assistant chief constable Jenny Sims said: “We have been living with some form of restrictions for around 10 months now, and we have had to make incredible sacrifices in order to keep the ones we love safe.

“The majority of people living in Cheshire have been sticking to the rules in place, and I would like to thank them for doing so.

“However, there is a minority who continue to blatantly and repeatedly flout the rules in place.

“This is not acceptable.

“Our officers will continue to engage, explain and encourage – but when they are met with these persistent rule breakers who have no regard for the safety of others, we must do what we can to protect the NHS and save lives.

“With the new variant of the virus, it is now more important than ever that we follow the restrictions in place and do all we can to stop the spread.

“The guidance is clear about staying at home.

“In Cheshire, we are lucky to have a great amount of green spaces and beauty spots but if we are exercising we must do our best to keep it local.

“Officers will do their job in keeping you safe and, in turn, we need you to follow the rules and stick to the guidance which is in place to help protect you and others.”