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People Play Cricket In The Street After Pubs Close At 10pm

People Play Cricket In The Street After Pubs Close At 10pm

Footage shows people gathered in the middle of the road to play

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Once again people packed out the streets in central London after the pubs shut at 10pm - with some drinkers even taking part in a game of cricket.

Huge crowds could be seen gathered on streets across the capital, with people filmed dancing and listening to music near Piccadilly Circus - many were completely ignoring current government guidance on social distancing and the use of face masks.

Meanwhile, in Peckham an impromptu game of cricket kicked off as drinkers appeared unwilling to let the 10pm curfew spoil their fun.

James Jones, who recorded a clip of the cricket game that has since gone viral, told PA: "My guess was that it had recently started as everyone was kicked out of the local pubs and bars.

Ravi Karia/@Fussyp96

"I was there for about 10 minutes and it was still going strong."

Despite those taking part facing heavy criticism for their actions online, Jones said it felt like a 'moment of joy', adding: "Obviously on social media people are projecting all sorts of views onto it.

"Being there, it felt like a very sweet and exuberant moment of joy. And we could all do with some more joy at the moment."

It was a similar story in other cities, with footage shared on social media showing the streets, public transport and off-licences jam-packed with people as they're turfed out in keeping with the 10pm curfew.

In Liverpool last month, crowds could be seen gathered in the city centre, leading to Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson to criticise the curfew.

Sharing the photos, he said the curfew was 'making things worse, not better'.

However, a spokesperson from Merseyside Police said the footage 'did not reflect the overall behaviour of people in Liverpool'.

Adding: "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."

Featured Image Credit: Ravi Karia/@Fussyp96

Topics: UK News