How to report a breach of Tier 2 local lockdown Covid restrictions to police in Leeds

It means that people cannot mix households indoors, and must stick to the rule of 6 when outdoors such as in a private garden or in a field.

West Yorkshire Police have created a form online to use to report any suspected coronavirus restriction breaches.

To use the form, head over to https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/form/report-breach-of-coronavirus-restrictions and follow the form.

The police ask for your name, address, contact details and a report of the breach itself.

West Yorkshire Police only deal with breaches that took place in West Yorkshire, of course, so if the breach happened somewhere else then you would need to contact the relevant geographical force instead.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said when the enforcement was launched: "We have a responsibility to ensure that the public are abiding by the new restrictions placed upon us all.

"I am pleased to see that the vast majority of people have been heeding the advice, helping to slow the spread and reduce demand on our stretched health services.

"We will continue to encourage compliance with new stay at home rules, warning and advising if necessary and trying to help people to understand what they should be doing."

“I am sure most people understand the need for restrictions, but where people persist in not complying, we will use the powers at our disposal. Where people repeatedly fail to abide by the restrictions and fail to contribute to slowing the spread of coronavirus, I have asked my officers to be robust in applying these new powers.”

Of course, the enforcement has been in place since the national lockdown in March. But enforcement now applies to Leeds in Tier 2 of local lockdown.

What's changed?

- Now household mixing has been banned indoors anywhere. Before, you could mix households in pubs and restaurants. This is now illegal. You cannot mix households of any size indoors anywhere (apart from the exceptions below).

- Outdoor mixing was banned, but is now legal again. You can meet in a private garden or in an outdoor setting (a street, a field) as long as you keep to the rule of 6 (groups no larger than six) and maintain social distancing.

All the previous rules still apply. So there is a 10pm curfew, the rule of 6, face masks in shops, and social distancing still in effect.

-> These are the Leeds Covid infection rate hotspots as Leeds put in Tier 2

What the law says - and what the fines are

Meeting in larger groups is against the law. There are certain exceptions (see below). The police can take action against you if you meet in larger groups. This includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fines (fixed penalty notices).

You can be fined £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400. If you hold, or are involved in holding, an illegal gathering of over 30 people, the police can issue fines of £10,000.

If you live in a high alert level area you also cannot meet indoors with people outside of the area, unless exceptions apply - read up on the list of exceptions here.