A TOTAL of 130 fines for Covid-related breaches in West Yorkshire were issued at court in people's absence last month.

The fines ranged from £440 to £990.

A further 21 people have pleaded guilty to flouting the rules.

Following the latest Government announcement of the new three-tier Covid alert system, communities are being urged to check the restrictions that apply to their area via the gov.uk website postcode checker and comply with them.

West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Tim Kingsman, co-chairman of the Local Resilience Forum, says that first and foremost the police seek the co-operation of the public in complying with the regulations – but that legislation will be used where necessary to help keep communities safe.

He said: “We really do not want to be handing out fines to people and as we have said throughout this pandemic, enforcement action has only been taken where absolutely appropriate and necessary.

“There has to be a recognition, however, that there are consequences for those who continue in activities that significantly contribute to the spread of infections across the county.

“The fines are real and people are having to pay them, which we can clearly see in the latest updates from the courts.

“As we are again experiencing an increasing trend of Covid-19 across West Yorkshire with enhanced restrictions in place, the seriousness of this situation is obvious.

“We all have people we love who could potentially be placed at serious risk if we do not collectively comply with the rules.

“It is a matter of using our common sense, but where we find individuals or organisations blatantly putting the safety of others at risk, they will be first feeling it in their pockets.”

We asked West Yorkshire Police for details of the type of offences committed, but so far they haven't responded.