The man unleashed a cloud of pepper spray firstly on a group of joggers then on two cyclists at the weekend in the western city of Aachen, according to a police statement, which said the attacks came “completely without warning.”

The cyclists, a married couple aged 51 and 49, were able to avoid an accident and stopped to call the police. The joggers left the scene and have not been tracked down.

The elderly man told police he had seen no other way of getting others to stick to the physical-distancing measures in place to curb coronavirus infections.

He was charged with grievous bodily harm and dangerous interference with traffic.

Aachen is one of the many urban centres in Germany currently classed as a high-risk area due to high infection rates.