THE Home Secretary has said she would report breaches of the 'rule of six' coronavirus restrictions.

Priti Patel said she would report her neighbours if it was a gathering of more than six as she suggested that families stopping to talk in the street could breach new laws.

It comes as the national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales called for guidance over enforcement of the measures.

When asked if she would call the police on her neighbours if they breached the new rule, Ms Patel told BBC Breakfast this morning: “I don’t spend my time looking into people’s gardens.”

Pressed on the topic, she said: “I think anybody would want to take responsibility and ensure we’re not spreading this awful disease and therefore if I saw gatherings of more than six people clearly I would report that.”

Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme later on, Ms Patel said that two families of four stopping for a chat on the way to the park is “absolutely mingling”.

“You have got to put this in the context of coronavirus and keeping distance, wearing masks,” she said.

“The rule of six is about making sure that people are being conscientious and not putting other people’s health at risk.”

The Home Secretary added: “Mingling is people coming together. That is my definition of mingling.”

It follows comments by Policing Minister Kit Malthouse, who suggested that people should ring the non-emergency 101 number if they have concerns that their neighbours are breaching the laws.

Any social gathering of more than six people in England is against the law, with people facing fines of up to £3,200 if they do not abide by the new measure, which applies to both indoor and outdoor settings.

The Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales John Apter said that police officers on the front line were “trying to interpret” the rules, which came into effect on Monday.

In response to a question about having “more guidance” on Good Morning Britain, he responded: “Maybe we should have ‘guidance’, because we haven’t had any yet.”

He said he understood the Government faced a “very fast-moving” situation, adding: “But my colleagues who are on the front line trying to interpret this law, trying to educate and work with the public, are now being accused of asking (people) to snitch on their neighbours.”