POLLS by the Romsey Advertiser have shown the majority of participants believe people should be slapped with fines of up to £100, if they don't wear a face covering in shops and supermarkets.

This comes after the Government announced wearing a face mask or covering in England will be mandatory from Friday July 24.

Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said it would "give people more confidence to shop safely and enhance protections for those who work in shops".

Polls held on Facebook and Twitter, which provide a small snapshot into the situation, revealed at least 70 per cent of voters believe fines are necessary in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

On Twitter, 75 per cent of respondents agreed with the fines, while on Facebook this came to 70 per cent.

However, a post on the Advertiser's Facebook page asking readers to share their thoughts on the poll results sparked a debate and these are some of the comments.

One participant said: "We should wear masks to control the spread of COVID-19.

"We are behind yet again - slow to lockdown, slow to control borders, now slow to masks.

"Why wait until the 24th of July?"

Another commented: "No one said we had to wait to be told when to wear masks, so you could of worn them since the very beginning of COVID-19 like many people have done."

However, another person claimed keeping a two metre distance in shops is "more effective than face coverings".

They said: "Social distancing by two metres in shops has been proven to be more effective than face coverings.

"The danger is most people who wear masks in, say Waitrose at present, think they are invincible and no longer social distance at all.

"Also some use the stretchy foam masks, which look great, but do not actually protect anyone."