News in brief

● Shoppers will be able to make contactless card payments with a new higher limit of up to £45 per transaction from today. The contactless card payment limit in shops is increasing from £30 as part of measures to combat coronavirus.

● Police chiefs have responded to criticism of tactics to enforce the Covid-19 lockdown. Lancashire Police issued 123 fines for breaches of the rules over the weekend, while officers in Cheshire summonsed six people for various offences, including people from the same house going out to buy “nonessential” items. West Midlands Police Chief Constable Dave Thompson told the PA news agency: “They just need to cut us a little bit of slack at the moment, it’s pretty tough.”

● Thousands of protective screens are being installed at Co-op supermarkets across the UK, while more gloves and hand sanitisers are being provided for frontline staff. The retail giant has invested more than £3 million on measures at its 2,600 stores.

● Seasonal plants worth £200 million that have been grown for sale in garden centres will have to be destroyed because of the coronavirus lockdown, a trade body has warned. Hundreds of nurseries and growers – many of them family businesses – face ruin as the market for seasonal plants is shut down at the busiest time of year. The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is calling for government support for the ornamental crop sector, which grows bulbs, bedding plants, cut flowers and pot plants for garden centres, supermarkets, florists and DIY stores.

● Nearly half of the UK’s major insurers have pulled out of the travel insurance market since the coronavirus pandemic sparked chaos, Which? has found. The consumer group contacted 75 providers and found 34, including household names such as Aviva, LV= and Direct Line, had temporarily suspended the sale of travel insurance to new customers. A further 10 had changed aspects of their policies.

● Chemicals giant Ineos has hit its 10-day target to build a hand sanitiser plant and has started producing a million units a month. The company said it is focusing on meeting the needs of frontline medical and care services as well as making “pocket bottle” hand sanitisers for personal use.