A man was hit with an eye-watering £2,000 fine for taking off his face mask in B&M because he felt sick.
Christopher O'Toole entered the B&M store at the retail park in Prescot on February 27 wearing a mask - but he said he felt sick so briefly took off his mask as he went to leave the shop.
As he was leaving the shop Mr O'Toole was approached by police officers who took his name for not wearing a mask inside the shop.
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As the incident happened in February last year, the rules stated face masks had to be worn in shops.
Mr O'Toole said he has no problem wearing masks in public - this was just a case where he had taken it off briefly because he wasn't feeling well.
Mr O'Toole told the ECHO : "I was worrying when the police pulled me and I was just asking can I go?
"They said I could go after taking my name and I thought that was that and didn't think again about it."
The 30-year-old from Wallasey, who was in the Prescot shop because it was close to where his dad lived, thought nothing of the incident until he got a letter from ACRO Criminal Records Office telling him he had to pay a £100 fine.
Mr O'Toole said he wasn't going to pay the fine as it was just a case he had taken off his mask briefly.
He said: "I emailed them saying I wasn't going to pay a fine for taking my mask off for something like 16 seconds - not a chance.
"I didn't hear anything back from anyone for months until I got a letter at the start of December saying I owed £2,000.
Mr O'Toole said he was really worried when he got the letter through - especially as it was four weeks before Christmas.
He said: "It was four weeks before Christmas and they wanted the whole amount.
"They could have taken my full wages and I still wouldn't have been able to have cleared it.
"I emailed them back and found out it had gone to court without me knowing.
"I had to sign a statutory declaration to show I hadn't known about it."
The ECHO approached ACRO Criminal Records Office who issued the fine to Mr O'Toole - but ACRO said it doesn't comment on individual cases.
ACRO did explain it's role, telling the ECHO it has been supporting the policing response to the pandemic by administering fixed penalty notices.
ACRO checks the accuracy of the notices before contacting the recipient and requesting the fine is paid within 28 days of the letter.
But if a recipient does contest the notice, ACRO returns the case to the relevant police force.
Mr O'Toole is now set to go to court over the matter, appearing in February.
He said: "I am worried - but I want to get the chance to be able to fight my case."
The ECHO approached B&M for comment.
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