An exasperated police chief has threatened that his force could be only "a few days away" from introducing road blocks and searching shopping trolleys as people continue to ignore lockdown regulations.
Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Nick Adderley said a "three-week grace period" for the coronavirus lockdown is over in the county and the force will now be issuing fines and arresting people breaking the rules.
He said further measures will also be implemented should people continue to flout the regulations - including "marshalling" supermarkets and checking the items in baskets and trolleys.
The comments were branded "outrageous" by UK civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, which compared the measures to a "police state".
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