Scores of penalties handed out in England and Wales but sum has been challenged in court
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Police chiefs have issued an emergency order to stop officers handing out instant £10,000 fines to Covid rule-breakers amid fears the government’s flagship deterrent was unfair, the Guardian has learned.
Officials are scrambling to stop the crackdown on large gatherings in England and Wales, which was announced by the prime minister this summer, from imploding after serious problems emerged.