Police have thanked the majority of the Hertfordshire public for acting responsibly when pubs reopened at the weekend – despite some officers being spat at.

On Sunday, Hertfordshire Constabulary said that there were “a few” incidents on Saturday where police were spat at, as people flocked to pubs and restaurants for the first time in months.

Police say that one of these incidents took place in Watford town centre at around 11pm.

A man from Bricket Wood, 27, was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two counts of assaulting police – by spitting and grabbing – and possession of a class A drug.

He has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

The constabulary said at the weekend: “We are here to try and help you and keep you safe and we want you to enjoy yourselves after what has been a tough few months for us all, but please note that spitting at our officers or any emergency worker whilst carrying out their duties is never acceptable, and certainly not during the present health emergency.”

Despite this, Chief Superintendent Richard Liversidge, the constabulary’s local policing commander, has thanked the majority of people in the county for their behaviour.

He said: “We have seen throughout the lockdown period that the vast majority of people in our county are sensible and want to do the right thing.

“Thankfully, this was illustrated in our area over the weekend as our towns returned to a more normal feel, with many pubs and licensed premises reopening and the majority of people enjoying themselves with no issues.

“We saw no major incidents relating to the easing of lockdown restrictions and we were pleased that Saturday and Sunday were largely trouble-free evenings.”

He continued: “We had planned extra policing patrols at busy town centres in case of issues across the weekend and these were boosted by Hertfordshire’s Special Constabulary.

"More than 100 Specials volunteered their time to support local teams over the two days and I must thank them and all of our officers who worked hard to encourage people to enjoy themselves safely. We are very lucky to have such a hard-working and dedicated team.

“Unfortunately, there were reports of alcohol-related antisocial behaviour and a few arrests as a result of low-level incidents directly related to the reopening of the night time economy, but it was in line with an average weekend in the county.

“I would like to thank our licensees who all took their responsibility seriously and worked with us to manage any issues.

"As more venues reopen in the coming days and weeks I’m confident we can rely on our communities to continue behaving responsibly and I thank people for the support and understanding they have shown throughout the last few months, and continue to show as we move into a new kind of normal.”