New laws come into force from Monday which bans social gatherings of more than six people across England.

Weston Mercury: Chief Constable Andy Marsh. Picture: Paul GroomChief Constable Andy Marsh. Picture: Paul Groom (Image: Paul Groom Photography paulgroom.com)

The rules will apply to all ages, to gatherings indoors and outdoors, in private homes, public outdoor spaces and venues such as pubs and restaurants.

Legal exemptions to the six person rule apply to permit certain gatherings in any number, including where your household or support bubble is larger than six, if gatherings are for work or education purposes, and where parenting is being shared across multiple households.

Further exemptions apply to weddings, funerals and organised team sports in a Covid-secure way.

Chief Constable at Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Andy Marsh, has praised the public for their efforts to limit the spread of Covid-19 in the area, but has urged people to continue following the regulations in place to protect their loved ones.

He said: “The new law reducing the size of gatherings from 30 to six people is clear and I hope people will continue to abide by the regulations as diligently as they have done. I’ve been enormously heartened by the response of our communities so far in tackling this dreadful virus but we must not become complacent; there is still more work for all of us to do.

“We’ll continue to be out in our communities engaging, explaining and encouraging people to do the right thing but, as we’ve always said, we will not be able to police our way out of this situation and we will use the enforcement available to us should we need to.

“Demand for our services is now getting back to expected levels after a fall at the start of lockdown, meaning we’ll have to prioritise our resources based on the threat, harm and risk each incident or report presents.

“Any group larger than six risks being dispersed by officers or fined for non-compliance but I hope it doesn’t come to that too often and people will work with us to ultimately protect themselves and others.”

A total of 362 Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued across the Avon and Somerset force area since the regulations came into force in March.

To view information on meeting with others safely, visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing