Three men have been ordered to pay hundreds of pounds by the magistrates – after they failed to pay-up for breaching the coronavirus regulations in April.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills said: “A huge amount of people made a great many sacrifices, missing out on contact with family and friends to ensure they were doing their bit to help protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

“We are now in the same situation again, and I believe the public will be pleased to see that action is being taken against those who have deliberately flouted the rules and broken the law.”

Since the pandemic began, Wiltshire Police issued 235 fines to people not following the government’s coronavirus restrictions.

And last month three men issued with fines by police were reported to Salisbury magistrates’ court after failing to pay up.

Haxhi Gjorgji, 25, of Reids Piece, Wroughton, was found guilty of being out of his home without a reasonable excuse on April 6. A second charge under the coronavirus regulations was dismissed. He was fined £440 and must pay £134 in costs and surcharge.

Ryan Conduit 34, of West Parade, Warminster, was found guilty of being out without a reasonable excuse. He’d been stopped in Warminster Road, Westbury, on April 12. He was fined £180 and ordered to pay £124 in costs and surcharge.

Trevor Davis, 35, of Hillbourne Close, Warminster, was found guilty of leaving the place he was living in Heytesbury on April 5 without a reasonable excuse. He was fined £440 and ordered to pay £134 in costs and surcharge.

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said: “Once again the country is back in national lockdown and I hope these court cases show people that both the police and the courts will take action if they either fail to comply with the restrictions, or then ignore the fixed penalty notice issued to them.

“The prime minister has made it clear that we are at a critical point in the battle to bring the virus under control, so I would strongly urge you all to make sure you are carefully following the restrictions and helping us keep people safe this winter.”