“THOUSANDS upon thousands” of people were stopped from entering Wales during the peak of the coronavirus crisis as Gwent Police patrolled the border.

As lockdown restrictions were lifted in England in May – allowing people to drive for exercise – Gwent Police had to be proactive in preventing people from “popping into Wales when it suited them,” said Chief Constable Pam Kelly.

“That was hugely important because during that time many of our members of the communities here in Gwent lost loved ones and the virus was very much at its peak.

“We saw our responsibility as being to try and protect our community by not allowing the further spread of the virus into Gwent and beyond.”

The difference in lockdown rules caused “confusion” which facilitated the spread of the virus, Cons. Kelly added.

People were turned away from as far as London and Cornwall, with many citing misunderstanding of the differences in rules.

Read our diary of lockdown border patrols with Gwent Police

“We very much see ourselves as a gateway into Wales and our role at that time was to be visible, but we also stopped thousands upon thousands during that time.

“From a policing perspective, our role is always to save lives – it is bred in police officers.

“During this Covid crisis, our role has been to save lives in a very different way, to prevent the spread of the virus.”

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While fines and warnings were issued, the impetus was on – and still is – on explaining that different rules apply to Wales.

“What we did really well was communicating with people across the bridge so that they understood the legislation that was applied in Wales.”

While people in Wales are now allowed to drive within five-miles to see exercise or see loved-ones in a social distanced environment, the “stay local” message still means that people should not be driving across the border unless it is within the five-mile radius.

At the daily Welsh Government press briefing, First Minister Mark Drakeford said it was "very unlikely" that a ban on people travelling into Wales could come into force.

"I'm very un-attracted to the ideas of barriers at the border," he said.

"A positive ban of people travelling into Wales would be extremely difficult to police."