Dublin-born Dr Samuel Levenson drove around the Broughton Park and Prestwich areas of Manchester to find that several gatherings were still taking place.

And he berated those who had assembled, pointing out that they had casued him to desecrate Shabbat.

The 60-year-old told the Jewish Telegraph: “I knew these shuls had been told to close from midday on Friday, and I was worried that people had not grasped the seriousness of the situation.

“I made a decision to break Shabbat on my own because I knew that it was important enough to do so.

“We are all dealing with this threat to life.”

Dr Levenson, who has been practising for more than 25 years, came across at least five minyanim, with some outdoors as well as inside the synagogues.

And he made sure that, in no uncertain terms, they were made aware of how serious the situation was.

“I made a statement in each place to tell them that what they were doing was not safe.

“I wanted to make them understand — this is not a joke, and is a serious threat to life.”

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