ESSEX Police is ready to step up its response to lawbreakers flouting lockdown restrictions.

The force says it will continue to engage with people and explain the error of their ways.

But if “reasoned conversation” has not been successful, enforcement action will follow.

The warning comes after the Metropolitan Police instructed officers to enforce lockdown laws more quickly and accept fewer “reasonable excuses” in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The Met said people committing “obvious, wilful and serious breaches” will no longer be given the benefit of the doubt.

Officers will accept fewer “reasonable excuses” for people being away from their homes and those not wearing masks when they should be are more likely to be slapped with a fine.

Essex Police has said it will continue to use the four Es approach – engage, explain, encourage and enforce.

A spokesperson said: “Essex Police will continue to use the same common-sense approach to the regulations that we’ve had throughout the pandemic – we’ll engage with people, explain the regulations, and encourage them to do the right thing.

“Where reasoned conversation has not been successful we will take enforcement action.

"We will also continue to respond to clear and blatant breaches of the regulations in order to protect and serve the county and take enforcement action when that occurs.”

Under lockdown rules, residents are instructed to stay at home except for a handful of permitted reasons including travel to work if you can’t work at home, outdoor exercise and essential shopping.

Director of Public Health for Essex Dr Mike Gogarty said on Wednesday about 1 in 18 people in parts of south Essex are now thought to have the virus and he warned the infection rate could soon reach that point across the whole of Essex unless the rules are followed.

In the seven days to December 31, there were 15,474 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Essex, the latest date for which complete data is available.

That puts the weekly case rate for Essex at 1,039 per 100,000.

Up to that point, the highest weekly case rates were in Epping Forest and Castle Point, with rates of 1,321.9 and 1,326.3 per 100,000, respectively.