Only 'foolish few' disobeyed rules on Super Saturday

It was the moment that they had been waiting 104 days for, and as the revellers in Soho took to the pubs it looked like coronavirus was a distant memory.

The streets were packed with people dancing, hugging and singing in London’s party district as officers warned that it was “crystal clear” that after a few drinks they were incapable of social distancing.

But as the clear up from Super Saturday began the message from police forces across the country was clear – that it was only the minority who were breaking the rules.

Simon Stevens, the head of the NHS, said that the fears of packed A&E departments never materialised and it was “a foolish few but the sensible majority… and long may that continue”.

Many pubs across the country which found themselves unable to control crowds shut their doors voluntarily.

In Soho, it was said that the pubs and bars were fairly quiet, as they had required bookings and were limiting the number that they allowed through the door.

But as thousands took to the streets it took on a carnival atmosphere.

Rafal Liszewski, a store manager at Clonezone on Old Compton Street described crowds as "out of control".

"Saturday started very easy. But you could feel tension in the air," the 36-year-old said.

"Around 1pm crowds started to arrive... quickly everything got out of control and by 8-9 pm it was a proper street party with people dancing and drinking.

"Barely anyone was wearing masks and nobody respected social distancing... to be honest with that many people on one street it was physically impossible."

But whilst the Metropolitan Police recognised that some areas were “notably busy” they said there were "no significant issues".

Commander Bas Javid said: "Yesterday saw lockdown restrictions lifted further and many Londoners attended pubs and bars last night to enjoy themselves.

"The majority of the public complied with social distancing guidelines and remained vigilant…

"A small number of premises decided to close early following advice from officers due to crowding and social distancing issues and we thank them for their responsible actions.”

He added: “It's vital that we don't lose track of how far we have come and all act responsibly and play our part to minimise the spread of coronavirus."

The comments were echoed by Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, who told on Sky's Ridge On Sunday: "Well I think that from what I've seen, although there's some pictures to the contrary, very, very largely people have acted responsibly.

"The large proportion of people, the vast majority of people are, I think, doing the right thing".

However, he warned that “we'll take action when we need to when... if the minority break the rules” and warned that there could be further local lockdowns like Leicester as “we don't shirk from bringing in more drastic measures if that is what's needed to control the virus."

One officer who specialises in drug and alcohol harm across Durham and Darlington revealed that three premises in the region closed voluntarily whilst two others were forced to shut for a respective 24 and 48 hours.

She said that “the majority of people and licencees were switched on and enjoyed their 1st Saturday of pub freedom!” and they had fewer incidents than the previous weekend.

But John Apter, national chairman of the Police Federation for England and Wales, said on his shift in Southampton he had dealt with “anti-social behaviour, naked men, possession of class 'A' drugs, happy drunks, angry drunks, fights, more angry drunks and was called a fascist pig”.

"What was crystal clear is that drunk people can't/won't socially distance,” he tweeted.

Devon and Cornwall Police said they had received more than 1,000 calls, mainly linked to drink-related disorder and antisocial behaviour whilst neighbouring Dorset Police said they had recorded 525 incidents in 24 hours.

One reveller had to be rescued twice from the River Medway in Kent in what the search teams described as “sheer stupidity”.