Durham Police have so far issued 94 fines to people who refuse to obey coronavirus lockdown rules.
The figures, published today by the National Police Chief's Council, cover the period up to April 27.
SInce March 26 , police have had the power to tell someone to go ho home, or to give "any reasonable instructions the officer considers to be necessary", if they believe someone "is outside of the place where they are living without reasonable excuse."
They can issue a fine of £60 to anyone who refuses to co-operate, which will be lowered£30 if paid within 14 days. If a person is fined more than once then the amount double every time, up to a maximum of £960.
Nationwide, 8,877 fixed penalty notices have been recorded by forces in England up to 27 April for breaches of government public health regulations. In Wales, 299 FPNs have been issued in the same timeframe.
London's Metropolitan Police issued the most fines, with 634, followed by Lancashire Police, which issued 633.
National Police Chief's Council Chair Martin Hewitt 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.”
82 per cent of fines in England were given to men, and 15 per cent to women, with three per cent unknown. 36 per cent of fines were issued to those aged 18-24, with 31 per cent going to those aged 25-34.
Although the new powers came into effect on March 26, few fines were issued until Aprl 8, suggesting police gave people time to understand and obey the new rules before turning to fines.
