Supermarkets are being warned to toughen restrictions on rule breakers in a bid to stop coronavirus infections.
Queuing, social distancing and one-way aisles are among the rules introduced during the pandemic - but they are not enforced by law.
Supermarket giants are now being urged to get strict on restrictions due to stores being one of the easiest ways to catch the virus as different households mix under one roof.
It comes as NHS Test and Trace data in November revealed supermarkets were the most common place to catch coronavirus.
Public Health England (PHE) analysed the contacts retraced the steps of the 128,808 people and found that 18.3% contracted the virus at shops followed by schools and hospitals.
Supermarkets could be told to enforce restrictions by law as cases continue to soar across the nation, according to reports.
A Government source told The Times: "We need to make sure supermarkets in particular are following the rules given this is one of the few places where you still see people from different households in the same indoor space."
"So we will be looking at whether all the right protections are in place - including ensuring social distancing is being followed, that one way operations are in place, that there are limits on the number of people in stores at one time and that all customers are wearing masks."
It comes as Scotland’s Deputy First Minister has refused to rule out tougher lockdown restrictions as the number of positive covid cases continues to rise.
John Swinney said that despite current measures, the virus ‘does not show much sign of abating’ meaning further action may be required.
He said that the country is facing ‘a very alarming situation’ after recording its highest death toll so far in the pandemic over the last two days - with 93 dead.
