POLICE issued three Covid fines to drivers in Sussex on Thursday night.

Horsham Police said they had issued the fixed penalty notices while carrying out spot checks on their patch.

Officers also issued one traffic offence report during the evening after catching a driver who was not wearing their seatbelt.

A Horsham Police spokesman said: "Our roads policing team were out conducting mobile and static road safety checks.

"Most people spoken to were OK, however they did issue one traffic offence report for not wearing a seatbelt and three fines for Covid breaches."

The current national lockdown restrictions urge people to "stay at home" whenever possible in an attempt to stop the spread of a  new, more transmissible strain of Covid-19 which was first identified in the South East of England.

The rules state: "You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary.

"You may leave the home to:

  • shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person
  • go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home
  • exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person (in which case you should stay 2m apart). Exercise should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area
  • meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one
  • seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
  • attend education or childcare - for those eligible

"If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local - unless it is necessary to go further, for example to go to work.

"Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live.

"If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you are advised to only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential.

"We recommend that you do not attend work."