The abuse of key workers during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been declared "unacceptable" after it was revealed almost 100 emergency service workers have been assaulted in the five weeks since lockdown began.

It has prompted a new #unacceptable campaign to be launched through Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly.

It is being led by the Local Resilience Forum, which is made up of organisations representing all key workers in the region, to highlight the trend in assaults their staff are facing every day during the Covid-19 crisis.

In the weeks since the lockdown began there have been 87 assaults on police officers and a further 12 on other emergency workers.

These have included verbal abuse, being coughed and sneezed at and physical attacks.

The worst of the reported assaults have been in Devon, where only this week a woman has been jailed for six months for spitting blood into the face of police officer in Exeter.

In Plymouth last weekend a burglar spat on a police officer after being arrested and then said he had coronavirus, while in Torbay, care staff supporting vulnerable people in their homes have been verbally abused for unfounded fears they may be spreading the virus.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “The public of Devon and Cornwall are so supportive of front-line workers across the health, blue light and social support public sector family.

“In the fight against Covid-19, their work is augmented by workers and volunteers across many different organisations. Their work and the work of so many others, such as those within supermarkets, are fundamental to our collective endeavour to defeat this virus.

“Assaults on any of these vital, key workers are unacceptable.

“Spitting, coughing or in any way spreading or threatening to spread Covid-19 to anyone is intolerable and especially so to someone who is giving their all during a public health emergency.

“Assault of this kind on any member of the public is abhorrent and may, in some circumstances, lead to arrest and we will seek to bring criminal proceedings against suspected offenders in discussion with the Crown Prosecution Service.”

Ken Wenman, chief executive of South Western Ambulance Service, said it was an existing issue that had continued as staff found themselves working in "an extremely challenging environment."

He said: “Our ambulance crews and control room staff are working tirelessly on the front-line to keep people safe during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Last year we saw 1,330 incidents of violence and aggression towards our staff and these incidents have continued during the Covid-19 crisis when they are working in an extremely challenging environment to protect and save lives.

“We support whatever action is necessary to ensure our staff can continue to protect our staff from harm, and ensure those responsible for such attacks are prosecuted.”