'Last post-10pm pint until SPRING': Britons make the most of their final late-night out... before Boris Johnson's new pub curfew kicks in
Brits were spotted in their masses heading out for one final late night on Wednesday just before Boris Johnson's new coronavirus measures come into play.
The Prime Minister has today ordered pubs and restaurants to stop serving at 10pm, considerably earlier than most establishments across the country.
And owners will be forced to kick customers out of their premises before the cut-off point or risk a fine.
The new measures, which also outlaw customers from ordering drinks at a bar, will come into full effect as of today.
Rules are slightly different in Wales, where pubs will not have to close bang on 10pm, but rather just stop serving alcohol at that time.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said such a plan would allow an 'orderly close' rather than forcing people to rapidly finish their food and drinks.
The impact of the regulations is already proving significant with Monday's Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Arsenal now kicking off at 8pm, rather than the initial plan of 8.15pm, which would have likely seen punters kicked out of pubs before the end of the game.
But across Britain, revellers took advantage of their last night of freedom as they stepped out in full force up and down the country, with many expressing frustration on social media that this was likely to be their last post-10pm pint until spring next year.
Revellers in Leeds had to have a brief sit down on their last night out before new restrictions come into force today
A large group of students pose for a picture on Broad Street in Birmingham as they enjoy their last night of out past the imminent 10pm curfew
Students in Leeds were out in force for what is likely to be the last time they can go drinking post-10pm until next year
Revellers made their way through the centre of Lancaster for one last post-10pm drinking session last night
Two men take a stroll through the centre of Lancaster last night, the final evening before new restrictions are introduced
A group of youngsters enjoy a takeaway meal on their last late night out in Lancaster for several months yesterday
A group of young people wearing face coverings make their way through the centre of Lancaster for one last night out
A group of girls hit the town in Leeds last night, with pubs open past 10pm for the last time in what is likely to be several months
Some revellers in Leeds looked a little worse for wear as they made the most of the last late night until the new rules come in
A woman in bare feet carries her shoes on a night out in Leeds yesterday, the last before new restrictions are introduced
A reveller picks up a traffic cone as his group make their way through Leeds city centre for one final late night out yesterday
Students in Leeds were determined to make the most of one final night out after 10pm before new restrictions come in today
Brits were spotted in their masses heading out for one final late night on Wednesday just before Boris Johnson's new coronavirus measures come into play. Pictured: Leeds
The Prime Minister has today ordered pubs and restaurants to stop serving at 10pm, considerably earlier than most establishments across the country. Pictured: London
And owners will be forced to kick customers out of their premises before the cut-off point or risk a fine. The new measures, which also outlaw customers from ordering drinks at a bar, will come into full effect as of today. Pictured: Middlesborough
But revellers took advantage of their last night of freedom as they stepped out in full force up and down the country. Pictured: Leeds
Fun-seekers were spotted flouting social-distancing rules while mingling outside pubs and bars and even heavy rain in the north west of the UK didn't stop partygoers from enjoying their last night out.
Women were seen sporting their glad rags while some men donned smart suits and others hooded sweatshirts to combat the downpour.
Some were seen desperately trying to protect their finery by holding jackets and blazers of their heads while others huddled together in large groups to stay out of the wet.
Revellers in Leeds, London, Lancaster and Middlesborough were seen taking full advantage of the last night of normal opening hours as they nursed drinks throughout the evening.
On social media, scores of people posted pictures of their drinks, bemoaning the fact it was likely to be their last in a pub for six months.
Mr Johnson's measures will come into effect the day after 6,178 more cases of coronavirus were reported and health chiefs announced 37 more deaths.
Data shows that 4,501 new Covid-19 infections are now being recorded each day, on average, up from 3,286 last Wednesday. The UK yesterday became just the 14 country in the world to pass the milestone of 400,000 cases, after another 4,926 patients tested positive for the disease.
Police federation chiefs have blasted Boris Johnson's new rules as 'absurd' and 'a nonsense' as small business owners say they will go bust if workers stay home again.
The Prime Minister faced fire from all sides as he U-turned on his push to reopen workplaces after just a few weeks to tell office staff to work from home if they can.
He was barbed for introducing new measures including a 10pm pub curfew and £200 fines for mask rule-breakers among new restrictions on social settings in England.
Drinkers expressed their frustration on social media last night as they shared what will be their last post-10pm pint for several months
Drinkers expressed their frustration on social media last night as they shared what will be their last post-10pm pint for several months
Drinkers expressed their frustration on social media last night as they shared what will be their last post-10pm pint for several months
Drinkers expressed their frustration on social media last night as they shared what will be their last post-10pm pint for several months
Drinkers expressed their frustration on social media last night as they shared what will be their last post-10pm pint for several months
Drinkers expressed their frustration on social media last night as they shared what will be their last post-10pm pint for several months
Drinkers expressed their frustration on social media last night as they shared what will be their last post-10pm pint for several months
Fun-seekers were spotted flouting social-distancing rules while mingling outside pubs and bars and even heavy rain in the north west of the UK didn't stop partygoers from enjoying their last night out. Pictured: London
Women were seen sporting their glad rags while some men donned smart suits and others hooded sweatshirts to combat the downpour. Pictured: Middlesborough
Some were seen desperately trying to protect their finery by holding jackets and blazers of their heads while others huddled together in large groups to stay out of the wet. Pictured: London
Revellers in Leeds, London and Middlesborough were seen taking full advantage of the last night of normal opening hours as they nursed drinks throughout the evening. Pictured: London
Mr Johnson's measures will come into effect the day after 6,178 more cases of coronavirus were reported and health chiefs announced 37 more deaths. Pictured: London
The PM also announced he is making the British Army available to help the police enforce stringent new coronavirus rules.
He said officers will now have the 'option to draw on military support where required' to free up staff so more can crackdown on rule-breakers as he revealed fines are being doubled to £200.
But Downing Street ruled out deploying soldiers on the streets, saying they would be used for 'backfilling certain duties, such as office roles and guarding protected sites, so police can be out enforcing the virus response'.
Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation Ken Marsh slammed the announcement as 'a nonsense' and National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales John Apter said it 'lacked any detail'.
Meanwhile Chief Executive of UKHospitality Kate Nicholls described the restrictions as 'another crushing blow' for many businesses.
Revellers in Soho, London, were seen enjoying themselves at pubs and bars on Wednesday night before new measures come into affect today
People in Leeds were seen huddled together to stay protected from the heavy downpours that hit in areas of the north west
A group of women in Leeds stay huddled together while battling through the rain as they head on a night out before the Prime Minister's new measures come into play
A woman uses her jacket to shield her hair from the heavy rain that hit areas of the north west such as Leeds
Data shows that 4,501 new Covid-19 infections are now being recorded each day, on average, up from 3,286 last Wednesday. Pictured: Leeds
The UK yesterday became just the 14 country in the world to pass the milestone of 400,000 cases, after another 4,926 patients tested positive for the disease. Pictured: Leeds
A group of women use their jackets to protect themselves from the harsh weather conditions as they surge on with their night out before new measures come into place today
Two women run through the streets of Leeds to try and get out of the downpour of rain that struck areas of the north west last night
At the same time Tory MPs warned there must not be another 'major lockdown', saying the decision to ditch the back to work drive will cause 'dismay' among workers who live in 'cramped, overcrowded accommodation'.
MP for Telford Lucy Allen even went as far to tweet 'our collective health is not at risk', flying in the face of the PM's main message to the country.
Others also said their constituents would be furious at the new crackdown after they followed the rules only to have seen 'people at protests, at street parties, not having action taken against them.
But Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned Mr Johnson his actions did not go far enough as she banned people from visiting each other in their own homes in a bid to slash to Covid-19 R rate north of the border
The unveiling of the Government's latest coronavirus clampdown came as:
Metropolitan Police Federation Chairman Mr Marsh warned the rules are 'nonsense' and 'absurd'. He told MailOnline: 'In terms of the enforcement, for us it's really difficult. I mean I'm not a massive fan of Nicola Sturgeon but at least she's calling the shots correctly.
'Six months' of curbs at a glance
'If someone snitches and says Mr Big has got 20 people in his house, then what are we going to do? Sit outside his house all evening and wait for people to come out and count them or something?
'That's one address. We're talking about millions of addresses. It's just a nonsense. It's absolutely absurd. Why can't they put in place what is in Scotland I have no idea.
'Why? Why is ours six, but Scotland's is no one? It's not right and it just makes it so difficult for my colleagues to enforce when you can make it so crystal clear so it's not ambiguous, there's no way around it, these are the rules, adhere to them.'
He added: 'But you know when you've got the Home Secretary saying snitch on your neighbours, well good luck with that one Priti Patel. How are we supposed to enforce that?'
National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales John Apter added: 'More funding for policing this pandemic is much needed.
'The service needs all the help it can get, as financial pressures on Forces are increasing day-by-day - but today's announcement lacked any detail. We will wait for that before we celebrate too much. Since the start of this pandemic police and military have been working together on logistics.
'This has and continues to work well; but the announcement from the Prime Minister has been seized by some as a suggestion that the military will be on streets helping the police to enforce Covid regulations. This is not what policing has asked for and not what it needs.'
Mr Apter added: 'This is an ever-changing situation and police officers will continue to do an incredible job at adapting quickly.
'The vast majority of the public complied with the restrictions placed on them. These restrictions affect us all, but this is about keeping each other as safe as possible.
'I would hope the public will carry on doing the right thing to help protect fellow citizens to minimise the spread of the virus.'
Public Health England data reveals that of the 729 outbreaks in the week to September 13, only five per cent occurred in food outlets such as restaurants and pubs
The fresh restrictions also sparked anger from the hospitality sector, with UKHospitality's Ms Nicholls describing them as 'another crushing blow' for many businesses.
She said: 'A hard close time is bad for business and bad for controlling the virus – we need to allow time for people to disperse over a longer period.
'Table service has been widely adopted in some parts of the sector since reopening but it is not necessary across all businesses, such as coffee shops.
'It is hard to understand how these measures are the solution to fighting the disease when Government data shows that just 5 per cent of infections out of the home are related to hospitality.'