FINES for breaching lockdown in Wales could be increased, first minister Mark Drakeford has said.

Anyone found breaking the rules in Wales can be fined £60 - but in England this was increased earlier this month to £100.

Speaking during the Welsh Government's daily press conference, Mr Drakeford said increasing the fines in line with England was under consideration.

“We’ve always been willing to consider that point,” he said. “We have had further evidence come through this morning.

“No government should take action to change penalties unless there is evidence to do so. If the evidence demonstrates that there is a problem which could be solved by raising fines then we will of course discuss that with our police.”

However, he said he had spoken to Wales' police forces about the number of lockdown breaches in each area, and said the the numbers were “promising”.

He added he was ‘very concerned’ to hear reports that some officers were being coughed on, spat at and otherwise assaulted while trying to make sure that social distance is enforced.

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” he said.

Mr Drakeford also said there was hope to be drawn from the bank holiday earlier in the month when looking forward to the upcoming bank holiday weekend.

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Wales will now join the rest of the UK in adopting an online self-referral portal.

The country had been in the process of developing its own system.

“We have joined that portal as data issues previously stopping us from joining have now been ironed out,” he said

“We were developing our own portal in case those data issues could not be resolved.

“The more that we can do things together, the easier it is for people to understand.”

However, despite the decision to work together with the rest of the UK, Mr Drakeford still expressed misgivings in what he described in a previous briefing as a ‘fits and starts’ relationship with the UK Government.

“Had we had a system of regular and reliable engagement with the UK government over the last few weeks, I would have had ample time to outline my traffic light system,” he said.

Asked whether he agreed with claims that testing could have been implemented far earlier in settings such as care homes, Mr Drakeford said: “My job as a minister is not to try and make myself a scientific expert, it is to act on the advice of the scientists.

“In the scientific world there are many voices pointing you in different directions. We cannot pick and choose.”