Front line police officers in Leicestershire will be equipped with mesh guards in their day to day duties to guard against people who spit at them.

The masks, which are designed to be placed over the mouths of prisoners who try to spit at officers and police staff, will guard against a number of infections contained in saliva, such as hepatitis.

Chief Constable Simon Cole announced plans to equip the force with them after Home Secretary Amber Rudd told a national Police Federation Conference earlier this year that she supported their use.

However, they have been described as "cruel and dangerous" by some human rights organisations, including Amnesty International.

Mr Cole said: "We can’t carry on with officers and staff being spat at.

"It is an unpleasant thing to do anyway, but in some cases it has potentially some medical consequences associated with it."

The spit guards will prevent police officers from being infected with diseases carried in Saliva, such as Hepatitis

He stressed that the force had chosen a design which covers only the mouth area, leaving the nose and ears uncovered.

Some in use in other forces hood the entire head.

Approximately a quarter of police officers have been spat at while on duty in the city and county in the past year, according to a survey by Leicestershire Police Federation.

Tiff Lynch, chairman of Leicestershire Police Federation, said it was compelling evidence of the need to equip officers with spit guards.

Ms Lynch said the survey also revealed 96 per cent support among officers for spit guards.

She said: "I have heard some people opposed to the police using spit guards, talking about human rights.

"But what about the human rights of police officers who are trying to serve their communities and find themselves used as punch bags, being spat at or even bitten?"

One officer told the Leicester Mercury at the time of the survey: "A suspect spat in mine and a colleague’s faces in November.

"I found the whole experience degrading and disgusting. I would rather he had punched or kicked me instead.

"I had to contact the force’s occupational health department and then had to go to Glenfield Hospital for a blood test to check whether my hepatitis B immunity levels were satisfactory.

"The whole process caused a great deal of anxiety and distress on my part.

"Had a measure been in place to prevent him spitting, it would have saved all of that happening."