Revellers hit town and city centres for drink-fuelled nights out ahead of three day weekend 

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Eager revellers kicked off the balmy Bank Holiday weekend as they hit the town and city centres for a drink-fuelled night out on Friday evening.

Scores of boozy Britons appeared in excellent spirits as they flocked to bars and pubs across the country for a boozy start to the three-day weekend.

Large crowds of jubilant pubgoers hit the streets in London and Leeds to enjoy the nightlife, after clubs threw open their doors for the first time in 16 months on ‘Freedom Day’ in July.

Glamorous Britons appeared to be having the time of their lives in Leeds as they danced, laughed and posed on the streets.

But one woman seemed to have grown tired after a boozy night on the town as she was pictured taking a break and sitting on the pavement. 

Meanwhile, one bleary-eyed woman was pictured being detained by two police officers in Leeds.

Someone was also pictured dressed in a giant dinosaur costume as they casually sat in the passenger seat of a convertible car in a traffic jam in Leeds city centre. 

Elsewhere, in London, Soho was jam-packed with pubgoers who were keen to enjoy the balmy August temperatures as they took their drinks outside.

Forecasters predict that the last Bank Holiday weekend of the summer will see sizzling temperatures of 25C on their way across the three-day weekend.

The Met Office said most of the UK is set to be dry and bright for the duration of the three-day weekend after weeks of wetter than usual weather for August.

The best conditions can be expected in Northern Ireland and western Scotland on Saturday, but there is likely to be fine, dry and settled weather in most other areas too.

As the weekend progresses, the warmest temperatures are expected to be in southern England, with highs of 22C or 23C and the potential for an isolated 25C. 

Revellers at the Reading and Leeds Festivals can enjoy bright conditions over the weekend, with highs potentially reaching 21C in Reading on Sunday and 17C in Leeds. 

However, those camping in Leeds should pack warm layers, with temperatures set to drop to 10C-11C overnight.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: ‘It will be a largely fine and settled weekend; there’s very little – if any – rain in the forecast.’

He added that conditions are expected to cool slightly going into Monday.

Many Britons are set to hit the road across the Bank Holiday weekend as the RAC estimated that 16.7million leisure trips are planned over the next three days, with hopes of good late summer weather possibly seeing even more people jumping in their car for a day trip or last-minute break.

Meanwhile, Britons’ nights on the town could be put at risk as Britain’s beer shortage could continue well into September, landlords are warning.

One pub has revealed it has already been forced to close after not receiving enough barrels of Amstel, Fosters or Heineken to adequately serve punters.

The crisis has emerged as a combined result of the pingdemic limiting numbers of available lorry drivers, a much smaller pool of Eastern European workers due to Brexit, and proposed strike action from draymen responsible for around 40% of beer deliveries to British pubs. 

Despite the industrial action being resolved last week, pubs across the country are already desperately low on stock, and watering holes owned by the larger chains are the worst affected due to their reliance on imported beers.

A notice at the Seven Wives pub in St Ives, Cornwall, read: ‘Due to Heineken having strike issues with deliveries we (like most pubs etc ) are experiencing a shortage of our usual stock.

‘We have a driver out most days collecting all over East Anglia and South London.

‘Stella Artois, Estrella, Peroni: These will be replacing some of our hard-to-get stock soon like Fosters, Birra Morreti, and obviously Heineken.

‘We will try to keep you up-to-date on the changing products. The Word on the Street is that it this is this could go on till mid September.’ 

The drivers of GXO Logistics Drinks, which has 26 delivery sites across the UK and accounts for 40 per cent of all beer delivered in the country, voted for strike action after they were offered a ‘paltry’ 1.4% wage increase. 

24-hour strikes were planned for August 24 and September 2, before GXO Logistics Drinks settled on a 4% pay increase with representatives of The Unite Union on Friday.

Despite this resolution, the damage has already been done for many pubs who have stated they may have close on weekends and turn off taps for many popular beers.

Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, called for more government help to mitigate the effects of the crisis.

She said: ‘From large brewers and managed pub operators, to smaller breweries, leased and tenanted pubs and the independent free trade, the HGV driver shortage is affecting the entirety of our sector.

‘As a sector we are working with third-party logistics partners around the clock to ensure as many deliveries as possible. Brewers are actively looking at ways they can still do deliveries as are pub operators trying to get supplies to tenants and lessees.

‘It is a testament to the resilience of our sector that it is going all out to fulfil deliveries, while brands like Nando’s are simply closing.

‘Whilst we are grateful for Government engagement to date on the issue of the driver shortage, it is clear the immediate situation will not be rectified without their intervention.

‘Adding HGV drivers to the shortage occupation list or temporary visas will be is essential to helping stabilise the current situation and help us at this critical time in our recovery.’