Revellers take to the streets as the 10pm curfew kicks in

The 10pm curfew appeared to cause confusion at the weekend, as revellers took to the streets following early pub closures.

Following additional restrictions brought in last week to curb the spread of Covid-19, bars and restaurants must close early. Impromptu street parties across the country followed.

Footage and photos shot in Liverpool City Centre showed spontaneous crowds gathering outside off licences and taking to the streets to socialise.

The city’s mayor has criticised this behaviour and claimed Government restrictions were making the spread of the virus worse.

He said: “A picture paints a thousand words, and these pictures of last night in Liverpool show why the 10pm closing of bars and restaurants is simply making things worse not better.”

Liverpool Police confirmed that a gathering had taken place, but thanked people for moving on quickly when asked to leave the area.

Superintendent Chris Gibson said “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."

“This weekend, we have however issued a number of fixed penalty notices at house parties, businesses and events across Merseyside.”

Partying in the streets was also spotted at Piccadilly Circus, London and in Leeds.

The news comes following a number of concerns that people and venues are failing to take the new social distancing rules seriously.

Over the weekend Manchester Police issued their first £10,000 fine to a restaurant in Telford after the venue hosted a 70-person wedding, and on the same evening it had to shut down a student party a few streets away.

The current regulations in the UK mean that individuals can socialise in groups of no more than six and that all hospitality venues must shut by 10pm, and weddings must have no more than 15 people in attendance.