Durham detectives have begun their investigation into Dominic Cummings, it was revealed today.
A key witness has already been interviewed and software could be used to track the movement of a vehicle used by the prime minister’s top aide.
The developments came after Cummings denied all wrongdoing.
It also follows police being asked on Monday to establish the facts by Steve White, the police, crime and victims’ commissioner for Durham.
By Monday evening - as Mr Cummings gave his account of what happened to journalists at No 10 - detectives from Durham police were visiting potential witnesses.
They included the retired teacher who blew the whistle on the trip Cummings made to his hometown of Barnard Castle, as part of a police probe into alleged breaches of the lockdown rules.
They visited Robin Lees, 71, at 7.30pm on Monday, barely two hours after Cummings’s extraordinary Downing Street press conference.
Other witnesses were seen during the broadcast of his interview.
The detectives had been drafted to work on the investigation on the bank holiday weekend.
The detectives took three pages of testimony about what Lees had seen on 12 April, when Cummings visited the north-east beauty spot with his family on his wife’s birthday.
The prime minister’s top aide claimed he had driven there to rest his eye sight, which had been adversely affected by the coronavirus.
On Monday Cummings at his unprecedented press conference, held after police had been asked to investigate, confirmed the joint Mirror/Guardian reports that he had driven with his family to the town and he got out of the car near the river Tees for up to 15 minutes.
Lees’ 30-minute discussion with the police was conducted, according to the social distancing rules, outside in an outside area bordering the Tees.
Lees said: “They were very thorough asking every detail of what I saw, even though Cummings had almost confirmed what I saw.
“They asked me a lot about my background. They wanted to know exactly what time it was. They wanted to know if it was a clear day and did I know what Cummings looked like.”
When Lees apologised for bringing them out on a bank holiday, the detectives replied. “Don’t worry we’re getting overtime. We were called in specially today.” Mr Lees added: "I am glad they are taking this seriously."
Officers have access to automatic number plate recognition software to check the route from London to Durham.
Durham’s chief constable, Jo Farrell, received a letter from Mr White asking her to look at claims about Cummings’s time in Durham. White wrote:
“I have written to the chief constable, asking her to establish the facts concerning any potential breach of the law or regulations in this matter at any juncture.”
Mr Lees also said that in his local area he can see clear signs of more people venturing out. He fears Cummings’ behaviour has undermined the Government stay alert message.
