Police have issued a fixed penalty notice to a 39-year-old man after he attempted to board a flight at Stansted Airport to see relatives in Italy.

In a separate incident, another man, 31, was stopped at the airport on February 26 after he tried to leave the country for a two-week break to visit family.

Officers want people to continue to report Covid-19 breaches at www.essex.police.uk and contact them on its digital 101 service to speak with an operator via Live Chat, any day between 7am and 11pm.

A statement from Essex Police said: "You must not travel, including abroad, unless you have a legally-permitted reason to do so. It is illegal to travel abroad for holidays and other leisure purposes.

"It is essential that everyone continues to follow the guidelines as the Government has made it clear it will be guided by data and not dates when it comes to lifting lockdown restrictions."