More than 400 fines issued in West Midlands for flouting lockdown rules

Latest figures showed West Midlands Police had fined 322 people for ignoring lockdown restrictions. Another 28 were fined in Staffordshire and 87 by West Mercia Police, which covers Shropshire and Worcestershire.

But police chiefs hailed the response of the public, with the overwhelming majority abiding by the lockdown five weeks after it was enforced by Boris Johnson.

The data showed there had been a slight increase in the number of penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued by police over the last fortnight, both locally and nationally, which could suggest some have begun to tire of the lockdown.

West Midlands Police issued 139 between March 27 and April 15 and 159 in the two weeks since.

Nationally, 8,877 PCNs have been handed out by police, with the figures highlighting discrepancies between forces.

Lancashire Police, for example, has dished out 633 penalties, while Greater Manchester Police, which serves a huge population, gave out 171.

Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), which released the figures, said: "As the latest provisional figures on the number of fines issued show, the vast majority of people continue to do the right thing, staying at home in order to protect the NHS and help save lives.

“The figures also show our use of the enforcement powers remains proportionate with just 0.02 per cent of the population in England being issued with a fine

“I want to thank people for continuing to follow the regulations – I recognise it’s not easy and that this is a challenging time for us all.

“Our approach of – engage, explain and encourage, and only as a last resort, enforce –will continue. It is working.

“I urge the public to keep going, keep following the advice: stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.”