Pub-goers head home after being turfed out across England as 10pm curfew begins
Get out to help out! Police clear lingering revellers off the streets across England after they were turfed of pubs, clubs and restaurants at 10pm as Boris’s first nationwide Covid curfew kicked in
- New coronavirus restrictions in England ask all pubs and restaurants to close their doors at 10pm each night
- The restrictions haven’t stopped students in Preston heading out to celebrate their first term of university
- As darkness descended on London revellers enjoyed drinks in pub beer gardens in London Bridge and Soho
Revellers who headed into town and city centres to enjoy a few drinks tonight were turfed out of pubs and restaurants across England as the country’s first 10pm pub and restaurant curfew began.
Customers enjoying drinks with friends on outside tables in Soho, central London, were told to ‘get out to help out’ by hospitality staff as the Government’s curfew came into effect.
Metropolitan Police officers including Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick enforced the new coronavirus restrictions tonight as bar and restaurant staff cleared tables and chairs off the streets before 10pm.
Others enjoyed a drink at pub beer gardens in London Bridge while for others the restrictions caused a few cancellations as revellers feared their meals would be cut short.
In Preston, Leeds, Brighton and Newcastle, students celebrating their first term of university – pictured jumping into the air with glee as they enjoyed even a partial nightlife – carried boxes of drinks home with them.
The strict measures, which also ban customers from ordering from the bar, were imposed by the Government this week amid Tory backbench fears that Boris Johnson was gearing up for a second national lockdown.
On another day of the coronavirus crisis:
- Rishi Sunak extended the 15 per cent VAT cut for the hospitality and tourism sectors until the end of March;
- Cheap business loans were extended, with firms told they can repay over 10 years and take payment holidays;
- The Chancellor hinted at future tax rises, warning he would have to make ‘very difficult decisions’ in future;
- Cases of the virus jumped again, with 6,634 recorded in a single day;
- The cost of the troubled test-and-trace system was revealed to have risen to £12billion;
- Nicola Sturgeon banned Scottish students from going to pubs following a string of outbreaks in universities.
Police enforced new coronavirus restrictions in Soho, London underneath a sign reading ‘get out to help out’
Huge crowds of revellers sheltered in the storm on the streets of Newcastle as pubs closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
Metropolitan Police officers in face masks and yellow high-vis jackets enforced the new coronavirus restrictions while bar and restaurant staff cleared tables and chairs off the streets
In Preston and Leeds, students celebrating their first term of university – pictured jumping into the air with glee as they enjoyed even a partial nightlife – carried boxes of drinks home with them
Revellers tumbled out of pubs in Newcastle and took to the streets as pubs and restaurants closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
Young revellers in Leeds head off into the evening after pubs and restaurants were forced to close at 10pm for the first time
Tables were full in Soho before the 10pm curfew came into force despite rain and low temperatures in the capital last night
Police officers in face masks and yellow high-vis jackets enforced the coronavirus restrictions in Soho, London tonight
Police patrolled the streets of Soho, London enforcing the new coronavirus restrictions as the 10pm curfew kicked in
Metropolitan Police officers including Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick gleefully enforced the new coronavirus restrictions tonight as bar and restaurant staff cleared tables and chairs off the streets before 10pm
Metropolitan Police officers enforced the new coronavirus restrictions in Soho, London while bars and restaurants closed
People piled out of Cecconi’s Pizza Bar in London as restaurants shut their doors ahead of the new 10pm curfew in England
Revellers in Liverpool stumbled home after enjoying drinks before they were turfed out of pubs ahead of the 10pm curfew
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist, who is leading the Met’s response to the pandemic, said: ‘The vast majority of Londoners have stuck to the rules and responded positively to the unprecedented situation we are in. We thank them for that.
‘Throughout the last few months we have continued to step in where necessary to protect the public, even as the rules relaxed, with officers working hard to tackle challenging incidents such as unlicensed music events throughout the summer – sometimes facing extreme hostility and even violence. In many cases we worked proactively and successfully ahead these events to prevent them from happening in the first place.
‘However, it is clear that there is a renewed need for everyone to do everything they can to minimise the risk of transmission of what is a potentially deadly disease – that means everyone following the rules. Our officers will help people do that and will explain to the public what those regulations are, however, they will also be firm and take appropriate action against those that simply refuse to follow the law and who are deliberately placing communities at risk.
‘We urge the public to continue to report serious breaches to us via the 101 telephone system or using our online reporting system. However, we should all bear in mind that there are a number of exemptions to the rules which may apply to any situation so an apparent breach may not be what it appears and not every call may generate an immediate police response.
‘Additionally, demands on the Met from crime, non-Covid related anti-social behaviour and protests are returning to pre-Covid levels so we will continue to respond to these alongside the pandemic in order to keep Londoners safe.’
Just hours after the announcement was made by the Prime Minister on Tuesday, food establishments slowly recovering from months of lockdown were faced with a wave of cancellations from concerned customers.
George Madgwick, 30, who runs The Wicks Bistro, in Cosham, near Portsmouth, told MailOnline that he quickly had eight cancellations from worried diners who booked late-evening tables.
Mr Madgwick, who started up in February, said: ‘People don’t want to rush and are worried because it’s not last orders at 10pm, it’s everyone out the door at 10pm. It’s taken away our ability to do three sittings in a night.
‘Around 50 per cent of our business comes in at 7.30pm and we get around 20-25 per cent for 5pm tables, so the 8.45pm tables is about 20-25 per cent of our nightly business.
‘We’ve already had eight cancellations since the announcement and in the last 24 hours we have had zero bookings after 8.30pm, when we would normally have three or four.’
Mr Madgwick said the cost to the business could be around £300-a-nigh, but added that the biggest impact of the curfew will be on his staff. He said: ‘Instead of working until 11.30pm everything has to close at 10pm so it will be more like 10.15pm, which is an hour and a quarter less hours every day.’
Police confronted drunk revellers as they piled out of bars. Tonight is the first night of England’s new 10pm curfew
Revellers stumbled out of pubs ahead of the 10pm curfew and continued drinking with friends on Brighton’s streets
People walked through Soho area in the capital as bar staff wiped down tables and stacked chairs ahead of the 10pm curfew
The White Horse pub in Soho, central London closed its doors at 10pm as staff adjust to the Government’s new curfew
Officers marched through Soho, London as revellers enjoyed drinks on the streets ahead of the 10pm curfew tonight
A sign screams ‘get out to help out’ as bars and restaurants close at 10pm. New restrictions are meant to avoid a lockdown
Drinkers leave bars in Soho, central London ahead of the Government’s draconian new 10pm curfew across England
Revellers take shelter from the storm after they tumble out of bars ahead of England’s sweeping new 10pm curfew
Revellers tumbled out of pubs in Newcastle and took to the streets as pubs and restaurants closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
Revellers tumbled out of pubs in Newcastle and took to the streets as pubs and restaurants closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
Revellers tumbled out of pubs in Newcastle and took to the streets as pubs and restaurants closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
Revellers tumbled out of pubs in Newcastle and took to the streets as pubs and restaurants closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
Revellers tumbled out of pubs in Newcastle and took to the streets as pubs and restaurants closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
Bar and restaurant staff were forced to tidy up tables and chairs ahead of the Government’s tough new 10pm curfew
Meanwhile Dean Mac, owner and founder of cocktail bar 186 in Manchester also said he has lost business following the curfew announcement: ‘The 10pm curfew essentially means our bookings have been cut in half.
‘We’ve had to follow up with each and every guest booked in and make them aware of the changes, including changing our entire infrastructure so we can look to open earlier and keep ourselves in operation. Essentially we’ve had to cancel 50 per cent of our reservations as they are often made for around 9pm or 10pm.
‘To us it felt like some form of normality was returning and we were finding our feet again, only to have the rug pulled out from underneath us. It feels like the hospitality industry has been used as a scapegoat.’
Another, Jennifer Hughes, brand partner at Peru Perdu in Manchester, said: ‘We’ve had to cancel a lot of bookings and have changed our last seating time to 7.30pm – effectively cutting our capability in half. A few customers have cancelled and have concerns about going to restaurants all together from the scare of the latest announcement.’
Revellers in Liverpool stumbled home after enjoying drinks before they were turfed out of pubs ahead of the 10pm curfew
Revellers in Liverpool stumbled home after enjoying drinks before they were turfed out of pubs ahead of the 10pm curfew
Revellers tumbled out of pubs in Newcastle and took to the streets as pubs and restaurants closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
Revellers tumbled out of pubs in Newcastle and took to the streets as pubs and restaurants closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
Revellers tumbled out of pubs in Newcastle and took to the streets as pubs and restaurants closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
Revellers bounced out of a Wetherspoons in Brighton as publicans boot out happy customers ahead of the 10pm curfew
Revellers bounced out of a Molly Malones in Brighton as publicans boot out happy customers ahead of the 10pm curfew
A reveller bounced out of a Wetherspoons in Brighton as publicans boot out happy customers ahead of the 10pm curfew
People piled out of Cecconi’s Pizza Bar in London as restaurants shut their doors ahead of the new 10pm curfew in England
Staff at Cecconi’s Pizza Bar in Soho, London tidy tables and stack chairs as they close ahead of England’s new 10pm curfew
Pubs booted out their drinkers so they could clear for the night ahead of the Government’s new 10pm curfew in England
Police officers marched through Soho, central London tonight and enforced new coronavirus restrictions at around 10pm
Staff at bars and restaurants in Soho, central London cleaned tables and stacked chairs ahead of the 10pm curfew
Another sign in Soho, London told customers to ‘beat the curfew’ by ‘starting earlier’ – a reference to the 10pm curfew
Metropolitan Police officers in face masks and yellow high-vis jackets enforced the new coronavirus restrictions while bar and restaurant staff cleared tables and chairs off the streets
Customers enjoying drinks with friends on outside tables in Soho, central London, were told to ‘get out to help out’ by hospitality staff as the Government’s arbitrary curfew came into effect
The restrictions didn’t stop students in Preston heading out to celebrate their first term of university – with groups pictured jumping into the air with glee as they enjoyed even a partial nightlife
Students in Leeds glammed up for an early night of drinking in groups of less than six as they enjoyed their first time of university following covid lockdown
Revellers tumbled out of pubs in Newcastle and took to the streets as pubs and restaurants closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
Meanwhile, James Dodd, a landlord for a pub in Cheshire which he did not wish to be named, has had to employ five new part-time staff to deal with the new table service requirements.
Mr Dodd, from Altrincham, said he believes his pub will survive but worries others in his area will go bust as so much of their business takes place after 9pm.
He said: ‘I don’t think the Government realise that this flimsy measure, which arguably will have little effect on the virus, will have catastrophic implications for the industry.
Meanwhile, Stuart Seydel, the landlord at the Old Duke in Bristol, said he had already spent thousands of pounds encasing his establishment’s bar in protective perspex but now must retrain his staff to wait tables.
The 45-year-old said: ‘For several months we’ve been training now and we’ve set up a kind of bubble around the bar to keep them safe. Now we have to send them out from beyond that to go and give table service… in my opinion, it’s making the workplace less safe.
‘With less than 48 hours notice, we suddenly have to completely change the way we operate… and we’re losing two hours of our prime trading time. It’s ridiculous.’ Mr Seydel said his pub usually closes at 12pm so the 10pm curfew could cost them ‘several thousand’ per week.
Tom Stainer, chief executive of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), said the new measures pose a ‘very, very real risk’ to pubs and their staff.
On Tuesday the Prime Minister set out a raft of measures designed to clampdown on the virus, which has so far claimed more than 40,000 lives and infected more than 400,000 people in the UK.
As well as the curfew, which Mr Johnson is adamant that premises must follow and kick out all of their customers by the cut off point, the hospitality sector will also be restricted to table service only as the Government outlawed drinkers making a trip to the bar.
All retail workers and customers in indoor hospitality settings will be required to wear masks – except when they are seated to eat or drink – while all workers who can work from home are now being encouraged to do so from tomorrow.
Fines for breaking the rule of six and for failing to wear a face covering are increasing to £200 for a first offence.
The police will now have the option of asking the military for support with soldiers potentially being drafted in to guard protected sites in order to allow officers more time to crackdown on rule-breakers.
Members of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said the curfew would not be enough to slow the rate of infection.
But Mr Johnson insisted his approach was based on trying to ‘balance saving lives with protecting jobs and livelihoods’.
However, he said he reserved the right to ‘deploy greater fire power’ should it be necessary.
As darkness descended on bars in Soho, London, revellers continued to enjoy drinks on outside tables, despite all pubs having to take last orders well before 10pm to ensure the doors are locked in time for the curfew. Pictured, people sitting outside a pub in London Bridge
Revellers enjoy a drink or two as the clock counts down to the 10pm curfew. Last orders are expected to come well before 10pm to ensure bars are closed in time
Things get raucous as the night continues on into the late evening. Revellers are expected to continue drinking in parks instead of heading home after curfew
Women walked down a street in Leeds as they enjoyed an early evening out before all pubs and restaurants close by 10pm
Students headed for a shortened drinking spree in Leeds before Mr Johnson’s latest list of restrictions are put into place
Just hours after the announcement was made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a televised address to the nation on Tuesday, food establishments were faced with a wave of cancellations. Pictured, people drinking at a pub in London Bridge
Pitchers are lined up next to empty glasses as students enjoy a beverage or two during an early evening night out in Leeds
People sit in a pub in London Bridge despite the fact pubs and restaurants in England will be closed by 10pm – after Mr Johnson announced the new curfew on Tuesday
The new rules come as the government aims to avoid a second national lockdown in the face of rising infection figures. Pictured, students enjoying a night out in Preston
Mr Raab said a second national lockdown could be needed to control the spread of coronavirus if the latest measures do not work.
He told Sky News: ‘We’ve always said we’ve got a sort of repository of measures in the arsenal to take.
‘I don’t think we would speculate about what further could be done.
‘But the reality is they will be more intrusive or we could end up in a national lockdown. That is what we want to avoid.’
The Foreign Secretary said that if ‘everyone plays by the rules’ then a national lockdown may not be needed at Christmas.
He said: ‘Let’s hope that we can get through the winter months if we take these measures and if everyone plays by the rules, and we go into Christmas not needing to go into that national lockdown with all the impact on society and families but also the damage it would do to businesses.’
Metropolitan Police officers enforced the new coronavirus restrictions as revellers enjoyed drinks in Soho, London
Metropolitan Police officers confronted revellers as they piled out of pubs and restaurants on the first night of curfew
Officers marched through Soho, London as revellers enjoyed drinks on the streets ahead of the 10pm curfew tonight
Revellers enjoyed drinks in Soho, London as they adjust to a new normal ahead of pub closures at 10pm across England
People sat in groups on the streets of Soho, London and enjoyed drinks with friends before the 10pm curfew tonight
Revellers enjoyed drinks on the streets of Soho, central London, as bar and restaurant staff adjust to the new 10pm curfew
Students shivered in crop tops and jeans as they waited for entry to a bar in Leeds ahead of its first early night closure
Revellers who headed into town and city centres to enjoy a few drinks tonight were turfed out of pubs and restaurants across England as the country’s first 10pm pub and restaurant curfew begins
People piled out of Cecconi’s Pizza Bar in London as restaurants shut their doors ahead of the new 10pm curfew in England
Revellers in Liverpool stumbled home after enjoying drinks before they were turfed out of pubs ahead of the 10pm curfew
Mr Raab also defended the Government’s 10pm curfew on hospitality, despite figures suggesting just five per cent of coronavirus cases are linked to pubs, bars and restaurants.
‘We know that in bars and restaurants, particularly after people have had a few drinks, as you go into the later hours of the evening, that there’s a risk that the compliance with the guidance ebbs a little bit,’ he said.
‘So we’re taking this measure, we’re confident based on the evidence that we’ve got domestically and internationally that it’s one element of those that we need to make.’
Meanwhile business chiefs and hospitality groups issued a string of dire warnings over the impact of the restrictions, saying millions of jobs were now on the line.
They said the Prime Minister’s U-turn on his ‘get back to work’ message could spell doom for struggling high streets, with footfall plummeting and shops boarded up.
In a passionate intervention, a prominent entrepreneur said the prosperity of the nation was at stake.
Bar staff prepare to close for the 10pm deadline in Soho in London
Bar staff encourage customers to leave for the 10pm deadline in Soho in London
An empty Soho just before the 10pm closure deadline in London
A group of men gather outside a closed bar in Soho in London. Pubs and bars now have to shut at 10pm every night
Soho in London is pictured after pubs and restaurants have closed due to the the 10pm curfew
Police patrol in Soho, in central London as the clock nears 10pm on the first day of the new earlier closing times for pubs
Police watch on as they patrol in Soho in London as the clock nears 10pm, on the first day of the new earlier closing times
A dancer poses for the camera as police watch on in Soho in London which emptied last night
A man sits outside a pub in Soho in London on the first night of bars and restaurants having to shut at 10pm every night
A sign reading ‘Get out – Help out’ hangs from a pub in Soho as a police officer speaks to drinkers in the London district
People sit outside a pub in Soho in London as the clock nears 10pm
A street cleaner works outside the famous G-A-Y nightclub in Soho in London
Julian Metcalfe, who founded Pret A Manger and Itsu, said: ‘The repercussions of this six months are going to be devastating to so many, to local councils, to industry, to people all over our country.
‘We have not begun to touch the seriousness of this. This talk of six months is criminal.’
Despite ballooning national debt, Rishi Sunak is preparing a multi-billion-pound ‘winter economy plan’ to try to protect jobs.
The Chancellor signalled the true extent of the crisis by cancelling plans for a full-scale Budget in November. Sources said he accepted the country could no longer make long-term financial decisions.
Mr Metcalfe led the backlash against the curbs on BBC Radio 4’s World at One, saying he did not know whether Itsu could survive the measures.
Hoppers in Soho on the first day of the new earlier closing times for pubs and bars in England
A quiet Soho just before the 10pm closure deadline in London
Five Guys in Soho in London on the first day of the new earlier closing times for pubs and bars in England
Soho is pictured on the first day of the new earlier closing times for pubs and bars in England and Wales
Simmons in Soho is empty on the first day of the new earlier closing times for pubs and bars
An empty Carnaby Street in Soho on the first day of the new earlier closing times for pubs and bars
People sit outside a pub in Soho on the first day that pubs, cafes and restaurants now have to shut at 10pm every night
Police officers walk past empty tables during a patrol in Soho in London
He added: ‘People who work in hotels, restaurants, takeaways and in coffee shops are devastated. A great many are closing down – we’re losing thousands upon thousands of jobs.
‘How long can this continue, this vague ‘work from home’, ‘don’t go on public transport’? The ramifications of this are just enormous.’
Mr Metcalfe accused the Prime Minister of ‘sitting down with his Union Jack talking utter nonsense’.
He said: ‘To turn to an entire nation and say ‘stay at home for six months’, and to spout off Churchillian nonsense about we’ll make it through – it’s terribly unhelpful. It should be ‘we will review the situation each week, each hour’.
In Preston and Leeds, students celebrating their first term of university – pictured jumping into the air with glee as they enjoyed even a partial nightlife – carried boxes of drinks home with them
Revellers tumbled out of pubs in Newcastle and took to the streets as pubs and restaurants closed ahead of the 10pm curfew
People sat in groups on the streets of Soho, London and enjoyed drinks with friends before the 10pm curfew tonight
Revellers enjoyed drinks on the streets of Soho, central London, as bar and restaurant staff adjust to the new 10pm curfew
People sit in a pub in London Bridge. Dean Mac, owner and founder of cocktail bar 186 in Manchester also said he has lost business following the curfew announcement
One girl in this group of four appeared to feel unwell as she walked with friends during a night out in Leeds earlier this evening
A group of four girls dressed up before taking to the town in Leeds as nights out were brought forward by restrictions
Groups of friends gathered as they headed into town for a night of drinking in Leeds city centre earlier this evening
George Madgwick, who runs The Wicks Bistro, in Cosham, near Portsmouth, said he has already had eight cancellations from worried diners who had booked late-evening tables
Outside tables in Soho were filled with people making the most of the evening before the pubs and restaurants were closed early to follow the new restrictions
Revellers queued outside a bar as they waited for a table where they could sit and enjoy a couple of drinks before the curfew
