Brits swamp empty streets and dance around police after 10pm pub curfew
Crowds of young people jeered and booed police as they tried to carry on partying post-curfew.
On the first Saturday night since a blanket 10pm closure was enforced on pubs and bars nationwide, there were chaotic scenes in York when a spontaneous street party broke out in the city centre.
Police attempting to break up the gathering and encourage everyone to go home were met with abuse.
Eye witnesses said it was barely one minute past 10 when the party broke out. With all the pubs shutting their doors at the same time due to the coronavirus restrictions, there was an influx of drinkers into the Shambles area of the city.
Crowds were seen singing along to the Killers’ classic Mr Brightside in the shadows of the famous York Minster while dancing and punching their fists into the air.
In scenes mirrored in towns and cities across the country, the increasingly raucous group abandoned social distancing to party on into the night.
A lone police vehicle attempted to break up the crown by sounding its siren but the mob refused to leave, until back-up was called.
Angry local residents have condemned the behaviour. One person said: ‘York of all places. They must know they are spreading it but they don’t care.
‘They just want to go to town and drink. It is so naive to think sanctions will make a difference when they are drunk.’
Another said: ‘They should use facial recognition and fine every one of them. If any one of them are students they should be chucked out.
‘It’s crazy in York when so many young people have fallen in the river and drowned. Promising lives have been snuffed out through drink and now there is the virus too.’
Questions have been raised over how effective the curfew is proving after it led to mass gatherings taking place on the streets across the country during the first weekend in operation.
A similar scene to the one in York was captured on film in Liverpool. Although police in the city said the group dispersed when ordered to do so.
Despite the intervention from Superintendent Chris Gibson, who said people ‘moved on swiftly’, the viral video was seized upon as evidence to show the 10pm closures are making things ‘worse not better.’
Parliament will debate the measures this week with politicians expected to raise the problems being experienced.
Amid allegations that it has been introduced ‘without scientific backing’, the culture secretary Oliver Dowden defended the measure on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show this morning.
‘The risk here is, as people have more to drink later on in the evening, the amount of social distancing reduces. People get friendlier with each other and there is a greater risk of spread,’ he said.
Hospitality bosses say the curfew risks taking people out of safe, controlled environments and putting them on to the streets, where they are more likely to mix with a greater number of people.
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