People who seriously flout new lockdown restrictions in England will face steep fines, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has warned.
Under the rules, people have been told to stay at home and non-essential shops, pubs and gyms ordered to close.
Households are also banned from mixing indoors or in private gardens, unless in a support bubble.
Currently there is a £200 fine for each breach which doubles on every offence up to a maximum of £6,400.
And organisers of large gatherings face a £10,000 fine.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Buckland said law enforcement would continue its approach of “policing by consent” to encourage the public to comply with the four-week lockdown.
But he added that police would respond to “egregious breaches” and then the law would “take its course”.
He said: “Where a more intense intervention is needed then the police will be involved and of course the fine structure is still in force.”
The National Police Chiefs Council has also warned the most serious offenders will face fines.
Mr Buckland said he supported the police clamping down on the “tiny minority” of people who are not willing to obey the lockdown.
“I think the message has to go out very clearly that this will only work if we all play our part,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Meanwhile, the chancellor is set to extend the furlough scheme until March, sources have told the BBC.
The full details will be unveiled in a statement by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in the Commons shortly. It is unclear if it will offer the full 80% of wages currently available to workers under the scheme.
The new lockdown, which came into effect at midnight, will “expire automatically” on 2 December, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
But the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has called for an urgent extension of the furlough scheme until the spring to prevent job losses.
It comes as the Bank of England is to pump an extra £150bn into the economy amid a resurgence of Covid-19 cases. It has left interest rates on hold at a record low of 0.1%.
