Police have stopped a driver on a 224-mile round trip to collect £15 windows he bought on eBay during the UK's coronavirus lockdown - when officers discovered his wife was in the boot.

North West Motorway Police revealed details of the incident after the British public were told only to make "essential" journeys to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

It comes after England's deputy chief medical officer warned Britons that restrictions on their lives may last for at least six months.

Image: An empty stretch of the M5 motorway in Worcestershire during the UK's lockdown

In a post on Twitter, the force said: "A driver has travelled from Coventry to Salford to collect a £15 eBay purchase of windows.

"His wife could not fit in the vehicle so she was travelling in the boot for the return journey when stopped on the M6 Cheshire.


"The driver was given a TOR (Traffic Offence Report) for the offence."

The force later spelt out the only circumstances that people should be leaving their homes, saying: "You can leave your home to shop for basic necessities, [such as] food and medicine; taking exercise - alone or with members of a household; for any medical need or [to] provide care to a vulnerable person; travelling for work purposes, but only where they cannot work from home."

The incident comes after officers broke up a "massive" karaoke party involving 25 people at a house in Derbyshire on Saturday night.

Derbyshire Police said it was "clear people are still having complete disregard for the government advice and rules".

Image: Officers shared this image from the scene of the karaoke party. Pic: Derbyshire Police

Meanwhile, South Wales Police urged MP Stephen Kinnock to comply with coronavirus restrictions after he celebrated the 78th birthday of his father, the former Labour leader Neil Kinnock.

The Labour MP for Aberavon posted a photo of himself on Twitter sat in his father's front garden and said he was taking part in a "socially distanced celebration".

In response to Mr Kinnock, South Wales Police wrote: "We know celebrating your dad's birthday is a lovely thing to do, however this is not essential travel."

Hello @SKinnock we know celebrating your Dad’s birthday is a lovely thing to do, however this is not essential travel. We all have our part to play in this, we urge you to comply with @GOVUK restrictions, they are in place to keep us all safe. Thank you. ^cy — South Wales Police | #StayHomeSaveLives (@swpolice) March 29, 2020

Mr Kinnock replied: "I felt that this was essential travel as I had to deliver some necessary supplies to my parents. I stayed long enough to sing 'happy birthday' to dad, and then I was off."

Britons breaking coronavirus lockdown rules can be arrested or fined £60 under new police powers to ensure people stay at home and avoid non-essential travel.

Last week Derbyshire Police defended using drones to deter people from flouting the measures after the force filmed people rambling in the Peak District.

Derbyshire Police use drone to catch hikers

Civil liberties group Big Brother Watch branded the drone move "sinister" and "counter-productive".

Meanwhile, officers from Avon and Somerset Police have been conducting random vehicle checks in Bristol to ensure only essential journeys are being made during the coronavirus crisis.

England's deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, warned on Sunday it could be six months or more before the UK gets back to normal from the pandemic.

At the daily Downing Street briefing, Dr Harries said lockdown measures could be in place for months and would be lifted gradually before regular life resumes fully.

The deaths of another 207 people who had contracted coronavirus were announced on Sunday, taking the UK's total to 1,235.