POLICE are to launch ‘Covid cars’ to rapidly respond to public tip-offs about people flouting rules.

North Yorkshire Police are to use their share of a £30 million Government fund to pay for fast response teams to catch Covid rulebreakers.

The force is developing plans to have specially crewed vehicles primed to react to calls about people breaking public health rules.

Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said the plan will be presented to the Home Office within days.

Mrs Mulligan also told the York and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel that North Yorkshire Police was planning on spending part of its £280,000 of ‘surge funding’ on paying for overtime to boost enforcement work, such as patrols at Covid hotspots, around the latest guidelines.

As York gets set to go into tier two, police will be tasked with enforcing a ban on people meeting those who they do not live with indoors.

The meeting was told the force was set to focus efforts on upholding rules surrounding licensed premises.

Mrs Mulligan said: “If there are problem premises where residents have concerns about the way they are behaving, then these cars can be deployed to those sorts of things.”

Panel member Councillor Ashley Mason welcomed the force’s proposed use of the government funding, describing it as a “very positive” step.