IT will be a 'huge ask' to police the new coronavirus restrictions, says Cheshire's Police and Crime Commissioner.

David Keane made the remarks to Cheshire East Council's police and crime panel, telling the meeting challenges arose due to the fact the spring lockdown saw crime levels dropping hugely, but they have since risen to almost pre-Covid levels.

Moving forward, the elected Labour police and crime commissioner added in a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The Chief Constable has assured me that officers will continue to provide all the essential services in responding to non-Covid crimes to protect the public and keep our communities safe and will follow the 'four Es' approach to address any breach of the coronavirus restrictions.

"This will see officers engage with the individual, explain the restrictions and encourage them to change their behaviour to reduce the risk to public safety and health before implementing any enforcement measures."

Mr Keane went on to detail that the four Es are engage, explain, encourage, and enforce — meaning 'it is only at a final level that officers will actually enforce'.

Penalties for not following the coronavirus regulations have recently become more strict, with fines for breaches such as not wearing a mask or breaking the 'rule of six' doubling to £200 for a first offence.

Individuals can now also be fined up to £10,000 for not self-isolating when instructed to do so.

Businesses can also be fined up to £10,000 for a variety of offences, from not enforcing social distancing rules to failing to collect customers' data for NHS track and trace.

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