POLICE bosses have warned that travel restrictions between Wales and coronavirus hotspots are unenforceable.

Mark Drakeford announced today that plans were in place to introduce restrictions from Friday.

Under the new rules, people from areas of the UK with high coronavirus prevalence won't be allowed to come to low prevalence areas of Wales.

However, a leadinig member of the Police Federation has warned that the rules are impossible to enforce.

Mark Bleasdale, Welsh lead with the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: "On the face of it, this is unenforceable because of the difficulty of identifying where people are coming from and where they are going to.

“There will also be plenty of individuals travelling legitimately from areas which are not high risk, and this will only add to the other difficulties officers face when policing the existing regulations.

“Some areas of Wales are already in lockdown, and many individuals are already unable to travel in and out of counties unless they have good reason.

"In other locations provisions are more relaxed, so this proposed travel ban adds yet another level of complexity to policing.

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“We would ask members of the public to continue to be supportive and realise this is an extremely challenging period for frontline officers.

“Policing in Wales is already over-stretched due to the pandemic and because crime rates have returned to pre-COVID-19 levels.

"However, my colleagues will continue to do their utmost to protect the public in their usual professional manner.”

Speaking in the Senedd today, the first minister emphasised that the new restrictions were about protecting people in Wales, and not a border issue with England.

Mr Drakeford said: "It is important to stress once again that this is not an issue with regards to the border between Wales and England.

"That is not the point here.

"It is a matter of fairness in terms of what we have done here in Wales, and what we are asking the prime minister to do in England."

He added: "This is designed to prevent the spread of infection within Wales and to other areas of the UK.

“We are preparing to take this action to prevent people who live in areas where there are higher covid infection rates across the UK from travelling to Wales and bringing the virus with them.

“I am determined to keep Wales safe.”

The Welsh Government is finalising its regulatory approach to the travel restrictions.

The new restrictions are planned to come into force on Friday, October 16, at 6pm.