The UK death toll has risen to 578 (Picture: PA)

The UK coronavirus death toll has reached 578 after another 115 people were confirmed dead – the biggest day-on-day increase since the outbreak began.

There are now 11,658 people who have tested positive for Covid-19, while 93,208 people have tested negative for the virus. The Department of Health updated the figures after Wales recorded another six deaths, and Northern Ireland a further two deaths.

It comes after Home Secretary Priti Patel announced new powers for police to crackdown on people who continue to flout coronavirus lockdown rules.

Officers can tell them to go home, leave or disperse an area, and they can also make sure parents are stopping their children breaking the law.


A further 115 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19

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The government is calling on the public to volunteer their services to help the NHS (Credits: PA)

Those who refuse to comply could be fined £60, while second-time offenders could be handed a £120 fixed penalty notice, which doubles again with each further repeat offence.



Announcing the new enforcement powers, Ms Patel said: ‘The Prime Minister has been clear on what we need to do: stay at home to protect our NHS and save lives.

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‘All our frontline services really are the best of us and are doing an incredible job to stop this terrible virus from spreading.

‘That’s why I’m giving the police these new enforcement powers, to protect the public and keep people safe.’

Police officers make road checks in Plymouth urging motorists not to make non-essential journeys (Picture: Wayne Perry)

An NHS nurse collects more dressings from her car as she does a home visit in Sefton Park, Liverpool (Picture: PA)

Officers in Yorkshire have started using random checkpoints to stop motorists making journeys that are not essential.

Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker said: ‘The message is clear and the warning stark. Stay at home, save lives. These are the lives of the people we know and love.

‘Our partners, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, grandparents. You may never be in such a position again where your simple actions will lead directly to saving lives.’

Pictures from Plymouth revealed how Devon and Cornwall police are also stopping drivers who are out on the roads amid lockdown measures.

Police patrol the Royal Mile as people continue to socially distance themselves (Picture: Getty)

Customers queue between social distancing markers on the pavement outside a supermarket in Westminster (Picture: PA)

Meanwhile, Downing Street has raised the target for volunteers to help vulnerable people through the coronavirus crisis to 750,000 after more than half a million responded to the call.

The Government launched an appeal on Tuesday for 250,000 people to help those self-isolating for the next 12 weeks, but more than double that number have signed up just two days later.

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Volunteers are needed to deliver shopping and medication, transport patients and NHS equipment, or check in and chat on the phone with individuals at risk of loneliness as a result of self-isolation.

Despite the threshold being met twice over – with 560,000 people volunteering by Thursday morning – the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the scheme would stay open.

He told a Westminster briefing: ‘I think the most recent number I’ve seen was around 560,000 people who have volunteered so far which is amazing – but we want people to continue to volunteer and if we can reach a number of 750,000 then that would be fantastic.’

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