A NORTH-EAST police force is asking members of the public, who are concerned about those flouting lockdown restrictions, to submit their concerns using its website.

New lockdown restrictions have come into force across the region today, with major changes to the rules on households mixing with others.

READ MORE: What you CAN and CANNOT do in the North-East under new rules today

Under the new "three-tier" lockdown system, residents in the region cannot mix indoors with other households, unless in a support bubble.

But they can meet outdoors and in private gardens, something that was previously banned in parts of the region under local lockdown. 

But Northumbria Police, which covers Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Northumberland is asking people to report potential Covid breaches online.

On its website, under the 'Tell us something' section, the force is asking residents to inform the force using its 'Report your concerns' button.

This form then asks for your contact details and then the nature and details of the concerns being raised. 

It comes as last week, Assistant Chief Constable Scott Hall of Northumbria Police urged residents to stick to the rules to help prevent the spread of Covid. 

He said: “We all need to work together to tackle this deadly virus and we are grateful to the overwhelming majority of people who are sticking to the rules.

“We do appreciate the difficult sacrifices you continue to make during this pandemic.

“However, there are still individuals who think it is acceptable to breach the rules imposed on us all by Government to help prevent further spread of this virus.

“We have been very clear, we do not want to take enforcement action and it is really disappointing when we have to – we would much rather people abide by the restrictions which are in place.

“We will continue to work closely with our communities and offer advice to people who have mistakenly broken the restrictions – but where we see individuals who are choosing to ignore the measures in place, we are committed to taking enforcement action to protect our communities.”