YOUNG people spotted meeting up in public promoted an emphatic police appeal for people to stay home.

A concerned member of the public took a photo of a group of youths outside in the Cricklade area and sent it to police.

Officers on duty were busy at the time and the young people had left by the time they were free to attend the area where the photo was taken.

A police spokesman said: "Let's be hypothetical here - if one of these seven young people are unknowingly carrying the Covid-19 virus they’ve now potential infected six others, all seven now go home to their families and potentially infect them too and so on and so on, you do the maths.

"The government advice is very, very, very clear.

"Some of our officers and staff are having to stay at home and self isolate. When we finish our shifts, we go home and stay there just the same as everyone else.

"We understand how difficult these restrictions are and we have to abide by them too but the sooner we all understand that these restrictions are for our own health and that of those we love we can get back to normal.
 

"We don’t want to be sent to reports of groups gathering, dispersing them, or even enforcing the new laws now in place, so please take onboard the advice.

"Stay home, save lives it’s really that simple!"