Aylesbury police now have power to fine you for leaving your home without reasonable excuse

To ensure people stay at home and avoid non-essential travel if members of the public do not comply the police may:

-Instruct them to go home, leave an area or disperse

-Ensure parents are taking necessary steps to stop their children breaking these rules

-Issue a fixed penalty notice of £60, which will be lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days

-Issue a fixed penalty notice of £120 for second time offenders, doubling on each further repeat offence

Individuals who do not pay a fixed penalty notice under the regulations could be taken to court, with magistrates able to impose unlimited fines.

If an individual continues to refuse to comply, they will be acting unlawfully, and the police may arrest them where deemed proportionate and necessary.

However, in the first instance the police will always apply their common sense and discretion.

Thames Valley Police have said they will be introducing a four pronged approach.

1. Engage

Officers will initially encourage voluntary compliance

2. Explain

Officers will stress the risks to public health and to the NHS. They will try to educate people about the risks and the wider social factors.

3. Encourage

Officers will seek compliance and emphasise the benefits to the NHS by staying at home, how this can save lives and reduce risk for more vulnerable people in society.

4. Enforce

Officers will direct individuals to return to the place where they live. This may include providing reasonable instruction of the route by which the person is required to return. Officers may also remove that person to the place where they live, using reasonable force where it is a necessary and proportionate means of ensuring compliance.

Police chiefs however stressed that enforcement would be a 'last resort'.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "The Prime Minister has been clear on what we need to do: stay at home to protect our NHS and save lives.

"All our frontline services really are the best of us and are doing an incredible job to stop this terrible virus from spreading.

"That’s why I’m giving the police these new enforcement powers, to protect the public and keep people safe."

Thames Valley Police have tried to clear up some confusion around the Prime Ministers statements last week, and provided the following statements for clarity.

They said:

"We have had lots of questions about driving somewhere to take part in exercise; such as to walk a dog, and is this permitted?

"Government guidance is that if you "stay local and use open spaces near to your home where possible - do not travel unnecessarily".

"Every extra vehicle on the road increases the demand on the emergency services - either the potential for a collision or another car for us to stop to see where you are going. You may think that your one five minute drive to the woods to walk the dog won't matter, but if we all did this?"

Remember, only leave the house:

-To shop for basic necessities - food and medicine

-For one form of exercise a day

-For any medical need, or to provide help to a vulnerable person

-For work purposes