Officers attended 41 reports of COVID-19 legislation breaches across the Avon and Somerset policing area from Wednesday, 4th to Thursday, 5th November, both before and after the new lockdown regulations came into force.

The new dedicated COVID-19 units supported patrolling teams to respond to incidents and reported breaches in areas including Radstock, Frome, Glastonbury, Little Stoke, Watchet, Wellington, Wells, Yate and Yeovil. Some cases were found not to be breaches, while most of the rest were dealt with by engaging and encouraging people to comply.

In Bath, officers were patrolling the city centre from 7.30 pm, encouraging people gathered in groups to abide by the COVID-19 legislation. Following a number of reports of drunken anti-social behaviour, a section 34 dispersal was put in place and officers remained in the area until 11 pm.

Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Cullen said: “The vast majority of people are sticking to the rules and following the guidance that’s in place and we’re extremely grateful for this. We are fortunate the number of COVID-19 cases in the South West are not as high as some other parts of the UK, but they are rising and we cannot afford to be complacent.”