Former Lord Mayor Sheffield pictured without a face covering on coach to Blackpool

Labour Councillor Denise Fox, who represents Birley, uploaded a picture of herself and one other person to Facebook on 11 September with the caption ‘On our way to Blackpool’. Neither Cllr Fox or the other woman were wearing a face covering in the photo, which has been seen by The Star.

It has been a legal requirement to wear a face covering on public transport in England, including buses, taxis and private hire vehicles, since 15 June.

When approached for comment, Cllr Fox said: “It’s just a random picture.

"I don’t think it’s anyone’s business. I don’t really need to explain myself, it was on a private site."

Cllr Fox served as Lord Mayor of Sheffield from 2016 to 2017 and has served as a councillor since 2005. She is also married to the deputy leader of Sheffield City Council, fellow Labour councillor Terry Fox, who represents Manor Castle. Her current term of office is due to end in May 2023.

She added: “I had just entered [the coach] and took a photo, that was all. It was a private coach. There were 14 people on a 50-seater coach. There was plenty of space.

"I haven’t done anything wrong. We were also having refreshments on the coach, I was taking it on and off. There was nothing to it. It’s taken out of context.”

Last week Sheffield’s director of Public Health, Greg Fell, said face coverings should be worn in all settings, even those where they are not required by law, to ‘keep us and others safe’.