The Freedom hangover begins! Revellers wake up with VERY sore heads after enjoying first weekend nights out - ahead of Covid nightclub passports
Thousands of partygoers packed into nightclubs and bars across the country on the first weekend since restrictions ended last Monday.
In major party centres across the UK, scores of young people were seen taking advantage of limitations lifting post-Freedom Day and ahead of the introduction of proposed vaccine passports, which could be made compulsory from September.
Many no doubt woke up on feeling the effects of a heavy Saturday night out - something they will not have experienced for 16 months as the ending of Covid restictions meant nightclubs, pubs and bars can now open their doors.
Hundreds took part in the first post-lockdown Otley Run, a well-known pub crawl in Leeds, West Yorkshire, on Saturday night
Leeds streets were packed and busy - without a mask in sight as revellers mingled with Otley Runners on Saturday night
Queues stretched back as far as the eye could see outside Heaven nightclub in London, as night life in the capital returned
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Pictures taken in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, showed revellers enthusiastically queuing up outside clubs, pubs and bars as nightlife in these cities resume.
Masks were all but forgotten as hundreds took part in the first post-lockdown Otley Run, a well-known pub crawl in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
Seen as a rite of passage for students visiting or studying at Leeds, partcipants can often be spotted wearing fancy dress as they visit 16 pubs along the 1.5mile route.
Revellers enjoyed the warm Saturday night air and enthusiastically carried one another through the streets of Manchester
Manchester's city centre was abuzz with crowds heading for bars as nightlife returned for the first weekend in 16 months
For some the night proved too much, with partygoers taking off their shoes and preferring to walk barefoot instead
Hundreds gathered outside venues in Manchester as the hospitality sector opened its doors and welcomed back customers
Queues spilled out into the streets in Manchester on the first weekend after Freedom Day when restrictions finally ended
Not a mask was in sight as young people gathered to celebrate the end of restrictions outside this Manchester nightclub
In Manchester, revellers carried one another through the streets and walked hand in hand en route to their Saturday night destination.
Some, wearied by hours of letting loose, simply removed their shoes and walked barefoot along the pavement.
In a further sign of restrictions having ended, groups of hen parties - ahead of weddings that can now resume - were spotted out on the town.
One partygoer takes a break in the cooler air outside Heaven nightclub in London, where hundreds packed into the venue
In a further sign of restrictions easing and weddings resuming, hen parties were seen once more on the streets of Manchester
The first post-Freedom Day weekend arrived as NHS England figures showed one in three 18-to-29 year olds have still not had a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine - despite the virus running rampant in this age group, with more than one in 100 aged 20 to 29 testing positive last week.
Around three million young adults in the UK are yet to be vaccinated, even though all over-18s have been eligible since June 18.
Public Health England earlier this week revealed that case rates among those in their 20s are higher than in any age group since the pandemic began.
There were smiles all round as these partygoers enjoyed a Saturday night out without any covid restrictions in Manchester
No masks and no social distancing as these partygoers enjoyed a big night out in Manchester's city centre on Saturday
In a move to curtail the growth of the virus, the Government plans to make vaccine passports compulsory in clubs from September - but the proposal has not been welcomed by all.
Hospitality chiefs, MPs and civil liberties campaigners have slammed the idea.
There are also growing fears that the hospitality sector, which is looking to recover from months of closure, may fall victim to a staffing crisis thanks to the 'pingdemic', with hospitality staff not exempt from self-isolation rules.
Stewards in high-vis jackets keep the long queue of smiling revellers orderly outside Heaven nightclub in London
On Saturday, a total of 31,795 new cases were reported across the UK, according to Public Health England data.
This marked the fourth consecutive day that cases have fallen, with a 42 per cent drop on last week.
Across the UK, 46,519,998 people have received their first dose of a vaccine and 36,953,691 have received their second dose, according to PHE.
Experts are closely monitoring the impact of the lifting of lockdown restrictions, with some predicting that cases could continue to spiral until the autumn, passing the 100,000 mark in one weeks' time.
Queues spilled into the capital's street as London nightlife returned for the first weekend in 16 months with restrictions ended
One partygoer takes a break in Broad Street, Birmingham, as the city's nightclubs and bars roared back to life on Saturday