Covidiots have been slapped with fines for legal parties, meetings, travels and stays away from home.

Essex Police bosses say the vast majority are sticking to the Covid rules but a large number of fines are being handed out for "clear and blatant breaches."

On Wednesday 3 February, two young men in Brentwood were issued fines after meeting officers twice in the same evening.

An 18-year-old man was slapped with a Covid fine after he travelled from West Mersea to Colchester for a coffee. He had picked up his girlfriend, from a different household, to keep him company.

A Grays house owner was slapped with a fine for hosting a party on Friday 5 February that contravened rules preventing gathering in an indoor space with two or more people from different homes.

Colchester Community Policing Team handed out fines on Saturday 6 February to two women, aged 19 and 20, who had left their separate households in London to spend the night sleeping in a car by Abberton Reservoir.

The following day, more fines were issued by Grays officers to two men riding off-road bikes in Purfleet for making an unnecessary journey and being from different households.

A man who drove his three friends to Southend in the early hours and then told officers they didn’t need to know why he was there was fined.

Another driver, who decided to take late-night trip to Southend to 'see the sea' with two friends, had to make alternative arrangements to get home after being stopped by officers. All three sightseers were issued with fines and the car was seized as it was uninsured.

A night out with friends turned out to have a hefty price for five young men in Southend on Thursday 11 February. Special constables were patrolling in the Prittlewell area when they stopped a car, which was being driven erratically.

The occupants were searched after the Specials noticed a suspicious smell coming from the vehicle. One of them, a 17-year-old boy from Hockley, was then arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon following the discovery of a knife.

He has since been released under investigation. His friends were all issued with fines for Covid-19 breaches.

Police also issued 13 FPNs to car enthusiasts who breached Covid-19 regulations after they held a meet in Great Oaks car park, Basildon – opposite the town’s police station.

A couple who travelled from Devon for a hospital appointment in London were directed back to the South-West after stopping off to stay with family in Benfleet. Records showed they weren’t due at the hospital for another nine days.