A huge crowd of revellers were caught on camera on the streets of Liverpool after pubs and bars closed at 10pm due to the new curfew. The video - which was filmed at around 10pm in the city centre - has been viewed more than 700,000 times after it was posted on Twitter:
Under new government coronavirus rules, customers were asked to drink up and leave earlier than usual.
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The restrictions have been put in place in a bid to contain the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK, but some are critical of the effectiveness.
Photos show people outside Central station in the city, queuing in huge crowds while waiting for public transport.
Sharing pictures of the crowded streets post-10pm on Twitter, Liverpool's mayor Joe Anderson criticised the new measures. He wrote: "A picture speaks a thousand words, and these three pictures of last night in Liverpool show why the 10.00pm closure of pubs and restaurants is simply making things worse not better.
"This was repeated right across the UK."
Merseyside Police said the footage does 'not reflect the overall behaviour of people in Liverpool', adding that the crowds had gathered to watch a street performer.
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Superintendent Chris Gibson said: "We are aware of a video circulating of Liverpool City Centre, which shows crowds gathering near to Hanover Street at around 10pm last night, Saturday 26 September.
"I'd like to give some context to the images, as they do not reflect the overall behaviour of people in Liverpool this weekend. This was a spontaneous gathering around a local street performer, and dispersed within minutes, under the close monitoring of officers and via CCTV.
"The city centre was virtually empty at around 10.30pm and no serious incidents were reported. Although naturally there will be a surge of people leaving premises at 10pm, everyone we spoke to was good-natured and we'd like to thank those people for moving on swiftly.
"Although we understand the frustration with all restrictions in place at the moment, we are facing a serious increase in cases.
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"This weekend, we have however issued a number of fixed penalty notices at house parties, businesses and events across Merseyside. We will keep engaging and explaining the laws, but when enforcement is necessary we will do so.
"I want to continue to urge people to social distance, keep to small groups and do not mix households. We will all get through these difficult times but for now, everyone's priority should still be to protect those who are vulnerable, and help reduce the demands on the NHS and other emergency."
The new curfew was implemented following a spike in the number of cases of coronavirus across England.
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In the hopes of keeping up some form of profit, some bars have said that they will start opening in the afternoon, to maximise opening hours.
Under the new rules - which can carry large fines for those who overstep the mark - venues within the hospitality sector must boot all customers out by 10pm.
Popworld bars in Liverpool and York have announced that they'll be opening from 4pm until 10pm on Fridays, offering drinks promotions to try to encourage people to spend in the little time that they have.
Topics: UK News, Coronavirus
