SHOPPERS travelling from Northwich to Sandbach have been told to turn back and head home by police.

Officers in Middlewich have been conducting stop checks in the town to ensure that drivers are only making essential journeys.

They said that cars were turned away after drivers were found to be travelling from different towns to shop.

And police say that residents should shop locally in their own town in an attempt to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

A tweet sent from the Middlewich Police account said: “Your local officers have been conducting stop checks on Booth Lane to ask the nature of the journey.

“Cars have been turned away who have been coming from different towns to shop.

“Please remember to shop in your own town.”

A second tweet read: “Just to clarify the previous post, we are asking that where possible, you should shop locally, not travel from places like Northwich or further away to shop in Sandbach.

“This is not essential travel.”