FOUR people from Preston have been fined for flouting lockdown to pick up a "takeaway" from Bolton.

Officers uncovered the bizarre story when they stopped to help a broken down vehicle in Watergate Lane on Friday evening.

All four people inside said they'd travelled to the borough from Preston to pick up a takeaway.

Greater Manchester Police handed out 110 fines for coronavirus breaches over the weekend – with most going to people at house parties.

Some larger gatherings were also reported, with 16 people at a party in Peregrine Street, Hulme slapped with fines last night.

Over in Greengate, Salford, police were called to reports of 30 people having a party. Officers gave out 27 fines to people attending.

In the early hours of this morning, officers were called to a house party at a flat in Derby Street, Cheetham Hill, with reports saying over 40 people were present.

The partygoers scattered when the police arrived, and officers were only able to issue one fine, although an investigation is ongoing.

Chief Inspector Carol Martin, of GMP's Covid response team, said: "The majority of people across Greater Manchester are following the Government's guidance - we would like to thank them for doing their bit throughout the pandemic. However, there is a minority who think they are above the law.

"It is incredibly frustrating to those abiding by the rules that some people are showing such a blatant disregard for the current regulations.

"Not only are they putting their own lives and those of their loves ones at stake, they also risk undoing the hard work of everyone else continuing to make the necessary sacrifices at this time.

"We would like to reassure people that dedicated teams of officers are responding to reports of non-compliance and are continuing to follow the national lead by engaging with members of the public, explaining the law and encouraging compliance, but our officers will not hesitate to take enforcement action if people are found to be flouting the rules."

Since August, GMP have handed out 2,600 fines to people flouring coronavirus restrictions