A TWELVE-year-old girl from Widnes was detained by police after coughing at an NHS worker at a train station.

Cheshire Police were called to Warrington Bank Quay at around 9pm on Friday, March 27 – with the teens reported to have coughed at the NHS employee and been verbally abusive towards them.

Two 18-year-old women from Warrington and the 12-year-old girl from Widnes were held at the scene.

They were then taken to their home addresses and ‘spoken to regarding the new public health regulations to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic’.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

A spokesman for the force said: “At around 9pm on Friday, March 27, police received a report of a small group of young people verbally abusing and coughing on an NHS worker at Warrington Bank Quay.

“Cheshire Police responds to reports of such incidents as a matter of urgency.

“Officers were at the scene within minutes, and they detained three young people at the scene – two 18-year-old women from Warrington and a 12-year-old girl from Widnes.

“They were subsequently all taken to their home addresses and spoken to regarding the new public health regulations to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic, and an investigation in relation to the incident at the railway station is ongoing.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Cheshire Police on 101, quoting incident number IML669980, or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Police officers now have powers to ensure members of the public stay at home and avoid non-essential travel.

As a result, anyone caught flouting coronavirus lockdown rules will be breaking the law and could be arrested or fined.

And officers can use 'reasonable force if necessary'.

Police can order members of the public to go home or leave an area and have the power to disperse a group.

Those who ignore the tougher restrictions on movement could be hit with a £60 fine initially, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days, and another for £120 for a second offence.