Residents of Lyde Green were horrified as reports of a man coughing into his hand and then touching resident’s car handles, circled social media.

A resident contacted the police and posted to a local, community Facebook forum, to warn other residents of the incident.

She said:

“Just to make everybody aware, who live in Lyde Green. I have just spotted a man going around coughing in his hand and touching the handles of cars.

“Please everyone be aware”.

She went on to explain her partner was knocking on people’s doors to make them aware of the incident.

Avon and Somerset Polices released a statement following the incident:

“Police were called just after 2.15pm on Wednesday 1 April by a witness reporting seeing a man coughing and touching car door handles in Cherry Banks, Emersons Green.

“The man was described as white, aged between 30 and 35, wearing a black hoody, faded jeans and dark trainers.

“Officers from the neighbourhood beat team attended and carried out a search of the area, but found no trace of the suspect.

“We'd urge people to follow the coronavirus safety advice (https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus: stay at home and save lives. If you need to go out remember to keep two metres away from others, wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face”.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call 101, quoting reference 200200401-0537