The Government has drawn up contingency plans in the event of a swine flu pandemic gripping Britain. Proposals are based on reducing human contact and also to deal with a huge rise in the number of deaths.
They include:
*The Crown Prosecution Service taking fewer offenders to court.
The CPS would instead issue more fines and cautions for minor crimes such as theft and drugs offences, and some crimes involving violence, rather than take the offender through the courts and risk spreading the illness there.
A CPS insider said: "The prospect of a major crown court along with the prosecutor's department being brought to its knees by swine flu is something to be avoided at all costs."
*Banning crowds from major sporting events.
The Football Association and Premier League are understood to have drawn up plans with the Department of Health under the Civil Contingency Act to ban crowds at live sports events. It could even spread to events like the Ashes series and golf's Open championship.
