More than 350 coronavirus-related offences have been dealt with by the prosecution service since the start of the outbreak in March.

The latest periodic update showed prosecutors had instigated proceedings in 357 cases for offences such as coughing or spitting at public officials while claiming to be infected with the virus. In 109 cases the target was a police officer, while another 68 involved community wardens or hospital staff.

In around three-quarters of cases the suspect appeared in court and in the majority of hearings prosecutors requested a prison sentence. Violence was a factor in 50 of the recorded crimes.

A total of 17,480 fines have been issued for breaching local emergency orders, mostly for failing to maintain the social distance of 1.5 metres, while 3,041 penalties were handed out for not wearing face masks on public transport. Masks have been obligatory on trains, buses and trams since June 1.

The numbers include all cases up to October 25 and indicate that enforcement fell away in the six weeks since the previous update on September 13. Just 20 additional offences were recorded and 280 fines issued for breaching the coronavirus regulations.

However, fines for failing to wear face masks nearly doubled during the period from 1,641 to 3,034. Ministers have said the rules will be more rigorously enforced during the partial lockdown, which began on October 17.