CALLS HAVE BEEN made for Dominic Cummings to resign from his role as chief adviser to the Prime Minister after reports emerged he broke lockdown rules by travelling 260 miles from his London home.

In a joint investigation, the Mirror and the Guardian reported that police intervened after receiving a tip-off that Cummings had travelled to his family home in County Durham to self-isolate, despite Boris Johnson having declared a lockdown in England days beforehand.

At the same time as the UK Government was instructing people to remain home – with fines in place for those contravening the rules – Cummings reportedly decided to escape the capital.

The 48-year-old is alleged to have been present at his family home when police from Durham Constabulary turned up on March 31, following a call from someone reporting they had seen Cummings in the area.

Durham police confirmed officers had spoken to the owners of an address in the city after reports a person had travelled there from London.

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: “On Tuesday March 31, our officers were made aware of reports that an individual had travelled from London to Durham and was present at an address in the city.

“Officers made contact with the owners of that address who confirmed that the individual in question was present and was self-isolating in part of the house.

“In line with national policing guidance, officers explained to the family the guidelines around self-isolation and reiterated the appropriate advice around essential travel”.

Downing Street had previously confirmed Cummings had started displaying coronavirus symptoms “over the weekend” of 28 and 29 March.

The same day as parents spoke with members of Cummings’ family, his boss Johnson would be admitted to hospital with coronavirus, where he would later require treatment in intensive care.

According to the two papers, he was spotted a second time at the property on 5 April.

Sir Ed Davey, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, has called for Cummings to walk over the allegations.

“If Dominic Cummings has broken the lockdown guidelines he will have to resign, it is as simple as that,” the former energy secretary tweeted.

Labour, meanwhile, said No 10 needed to issue a “very swift explanation” about what went on.

A spokesman for the party said: “If accurate, the Prime Minister’s chief adviser appears to have breached the lockdown rules.

“The Government’s guidance was very clear: stay at home and no non-essential travel.

“The British people do not expect there to be one rule for them and another rule for Dominic Cummings.”

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford MP said the aide’s position was “completely untenable”.

“He must resign or be sacked,” he added.

But friends of Cummings suggested he would be going nowhere.

Close friends of his told PA news agency: “He isn’t remotely bothered by this story, it’s more fake news from the Guardian.

“There is zero chance of him resigning.”

Cabinet ministers have previously supported the decision of those involved in the Government’s response to Covid-19 resigning after disobeying the lockdown.

Prof Neil Ferguson, the epidemiologist whose modelling with Imperial College London prompted the lockdown, quit as a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), the body advising ministers during the crisis, after it was found he was visited by his married lover.

Cummings, formerly one of the key strategist behind the Vote Leave campaign, wrote about his experience of isolating with his wife, Mary Wakefield, in the Spectator magazine.

He wrote that “at the end of March and for the first two weeks of April I was ill, so we were both shut in together”.

He added: “Being with Mary in lockdown means I think I am talking all day and Mary thinks she’s starved of conversation.

“But I like listening to her and our four-year-old. They bicker like an old married couple and discuss what the birds are thinking.”

No 10 has been approached for comment.

Downing Street has regularly refused to confirm where Cummings was self-isolating after news broke that he was ill, possibly with coronavirus.

Cummings has since returned to work at No 10.