England fans show little social distancing sparking fears huge celebrations could see Covid rise
Celebrations turn sour: Chaos explodes on the streets of London as police come up against England fans as the force tries to take control with ‘multiple people held’
- Thousands of fans have celebrated England beating Ukraine 4-0 in Euro 2020
- Pictures from across the UK show little social distancing amid wild celebrations
- Video shows hundreds of fans scaling monuments in the capital in joyous scenes
- Police officers are present and have clashed with small groups of fans already
- Supporters have been congregating on the Shaftesbury memorial fountain in Piccadilly Circus, around Leicester Square and in Trafalgar Square tonight
Police have clashed with swathes of England fans tonight as the streets of London descended into chaos in the wake of the Three Lions’ Euro 2020 win.
Officers have formed human barricades and are pushing back against crowds in the capital as they desperately try to wrestle back control from huge groups of fans.
Large crowds have been caught on camera clashing with the police, as officers held hundreds of supporters in the wake of England’s 4-0 victory.
Videos show officers forcibly wrestling people to the ground as they cracked down on the thousands of fans who had converged in central London.
At least 50 officers were seen lining the streets in Leicester Square as they barked orders at onlookers and ordered spectators to ‘move, move, move’.
At present, no details have been released by Met Police on the number of arrests that have been made.
A handful of supporters have clashed with police this evening after England’s victory. Pictured: A man is detained by police officers in London
Fireworks explode as England fans celebrate after their 4-0 victory over Ukraine in central London
Met Police officers stand guard as England fans celebrate after the Three Lions claimed victory in Rome
Crowds have been caught on camera clashing with the police, as officers held large numbers of supporters
As unmasked fans chanted and let off a handful of flares in Piccadilly Circus, Met Police officers moved in to disperse the large crowds.
One officer even went as far as confiscating a fan’s football, prompting a chorus boos from those watching on.
Hundreds of maskless England fans repeated the celebrations from Tuesday and climbed atop the Shaftesbury memorial fountain in Piccadilly Circus, waving the St George flag.
The Met tweeted yesterday evening: ‘Congratulations to England on an outstanding performance.
‘Officers remain on duty across London to make sure everyone can celebrate safely.
‘Piccadilly Circus in particular is now very crowded with people climbing up the Eros statue. Please avoid the area.’
Met Police officers form a human barricade as they face a standoff with jubilant England fans in the capital
Police officers in London push back the crowds that had congregated in Leicester Square after England won 4-0
But handful of supporters have been caught on camera clashing with the police in Piccadilly Circus in the wake of England’s 4-0 victory
A young couple embraces as they celebrate England beating Ukraine in Euro 2020 quarter finals
The Met Police tweeted that officers were on duty to ensure fans ‘celebrate safely’ and warned Piccadilly Circus was crowded
Thousands of England supporters have taken to the streets to celebrate England’s win against Ukraine.
Many more congregated in enormous crowds in the streets, showing little sign for social distancing and setting off red flares.
Experts had previously warned that the nation’s mounting Covid cases could be linked to the Three Lions’ success at Euro 2020.
Dozens of cars have been driving past them and beeping in celebration at the win. Police are nearby and keeping an eye on the fans.
But thousands of unmasked fans have shown little regard for social distancing measures in the wake of the Three Lions’ 4-0 victory.
One woman was seen being treated by paramedics at a tube station entrance nearby with what appeared to be a minor head injury.
Hundreds of fans have also gathered in Leicester Square near the Hippodrome Casino, where they are partying in the street.
Fans celebrate in Leicester Square, central London, after England beat Ukraine 4-0 in their Euro2020 quarter final match
Maskless fans set off flares and waved St George’s flags as they congregated in the capital to mark England advancing to the semi finals of Uefa Euro 2020
Jubilant scenes were sparked across London (above) after England advanced to the Euro 2020 semi finals, where they will face Denmark next week
A heavy police presence has been pictured in the capital as fans’ celebrations are monitored
Jubilant fans in Trafalgar Square jumped up and screamed with delight, throwing their cups of beer into the air and hugging each other in celebration after Harry Kane opened the scoring after just four minutes.
Fans have also taken over the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in central London as celebrations of England’s victory continue.
The statue, popularly known as Eros, was surrounded by dozens of supporters – with one placing a large England flag on top.
Flares were set off by some supporters after England claimed victory at the final whistle
Thousands of England supporters have taken to the streets to celebrate England’s win against Ukraine. Pictured: An unmasked fan atop his friend’s shoulders in Leicester Square, London
There were wild celebrations among England fans in Newcastle’s Times Square as Harry Maguire headed England 2-0 up on the night
Fans were urged not to travel as Italy remains on the UK’s amber list, but support for Gareth Southgate’s men remained high regardless of pandemic restraints.
Pictures showed England fans posing in front of the Colosseum ahead of the game, with some living outside the UK managing to get tickets.
In London, people gathered in the fan zone in Trafalgar Square on what they hoped would be a night to remember for all the right reasons.
Fans sang Hey Baby by DJ Otzi and dozens of men ripped off their shirts, swirling them around their heads after England scored the fourth goal.
Supporters in Leicester Square were singing and chanting ‘it’s coming home’.
Trevor Harris, 40, from Watford, said: ‘It’s coming home. You can hear everyone chanting it. England is England and it’s about time we actually started playing.’
Keira Starr, 19, added: ‘I thought we’d lose, but now I actually think we’ll be in the final.’
Another supporter, Marc Ghossein, explained: ‘It’s an amazing feeling. We have been waiting for this for 25 years now. We’re almost at the semi-final, it’s coming home. England is going to win this year.
His friend Ellie Mhanna added: ‘England is going to win this year’s Euros for sure. They’ve been consistent and they deserve it.’
Thousands of unmasked fans have been pictured in London this evening as they celebrate England’s win
Supporters in fan zones across the country enjoyed a brilliant evening as England progressed to the next stage of Euro 2020. Above: Fans cheer in Newcastle’s Times Square
Even those in Rome (above) couldn’t help themselves as the Three Lions will play their first Euro semi final in 25 years
Katie McGarry, 22, is originally from Northern Ireland but is living in London this year as she is on placement in Canary Wharf. She told PA that she has been taken in with the atmosphere of England fans.
She said: ‘The vibe of everything and seeing how England comes together to support the team has been really important to me and it really made me support them too.’
England are in their first European Championship semi-final for 25 years after beating Ukraine four goals to nil at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Saturday night.
Beers were sent flying through the air and one fan even stripped off to his St George’s Cross underwear as revellers went wild at big screen events from London to Newcastle as the Three Lions secured a glorious return to Wembley where they take on Denmark in front 60,000 fans on Wednesday.
Booming chants of ‘We are going to Wembley’ were bellowed out by crowds in England, while in Kyiv, distraught Ukrainians looked on at big screens with tears in their eyes.
