Covid-19: Dozens of maskless London Underground passengers fined

Over a hundred people have been fined for not wearing face coverings on London's transport network since it was made mandatory, it has been revealed.

Compulsory face coverings were reinstated amid rising concerns about the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Fines up to £200 were issued to 152 people on Tuesday, the day masks became mandatory on public transport again, Transport for London (TfL) said.

A total of 125 maskless people were also asked to leave services, TfL said.

In England, police and TfL officers can fine people who are not wearing a mask on public transport, in a transport hub or in a shop £200 for their first offence. This drops to £100 if paid within 14 days.

TfL added that a further 127 people were prevented from boarding or entering stations and that staff had reminded more than 5,100 passengers to cover their faces.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) previously raised concerns that train workers would be left to deal with angry passengers who do not want to wear face masks.

General secretary Mick Lynch said on Sunday that more resources were needed to police the use of face coverings.