Devon and Cornwall Police have issued the fourth highest number of fines during lockdown out of the whole of England and Wales.

A total of 14,000 fines for breaches have been given out across the two countries since the lockdown period began on March 23 - and 799 of them were issued in Devon and Cornwall.

This is exactly the same number that have been issued in the whole of Wales during the same time period.

The latest figures from the National Police Chiefs' Council show that 13,445 fines were issued by forces in England and 799 in Wales, for breaches of social distancing rules that were introduced to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read next: Abuse of key workers during Covid-19 pandemic declared 'unacceptable'

Rules included restrictions on when and how many times people could leave the house and prohibited being part of a gathering outside your own household.

The Metropolitan Police have handed out the highest number of fines and fixed penalty notices (906), followed by Thames Valley Police (866), North Yorkshire Police (843) and Devon and Cornwall Police (799).

At the other end of the scale, Warwickshire Police have issued only 31 and Staffordshire Police 52.

The figures also show that there were 862 repeat offenders between the two countries - including one person fined nine times.

Most fines were imposed during the sunny Easter bank holiday weekend, when almost 600 were handed out on the Saturday and another 500 on Easter Sunday, between the two countries.

Read next: Almost 300 Covid-19 police fines issued in Cornwall and Devon in ten days since Easter

Fines for breaching social distancing rules in England have increased as of Wednesday, since the new easing measures were introduced.

They now start at £100 - almost double the previous £60 - but this figure will be lowered to £50 if paid within 14 days, according to the Home Office.

Fines will double for each repeat offence, up to a maximum of £3,200.

Only this week the chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police stressed the importance of adhering to social distancing rules still, despite the easing of restrictions that means people can now leave the house as often as they like and visit places like parks and beaches without the need for it to be for exercise.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said that the police's attention would now turn towards groups of three or more people found to be not from the same household, as well as public gatherings, which continue to be banned.

Read more: Chief Constable on what police focus will be after lockdown restrictions eased