'Urgent review' of curfew called for as 10pm closure sees crowds spill onto streets

An ‘urgent review’ of the curfew has been called for after pictures showed unregulated crowds drinking and dancing in the streets following the blanket closure of hospitality businesses at 10pm this weekend.

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham (pictured) said he had been told supermarkets were packed “to the rafters” as people picked up supplies before heading on to the streets or into private homes following the early closure.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he explained: "I think there needs to be an urgent review of the emerging evidence from police forces across the country.

"My gut feeling is that this curfew is doing more harm than good. It creates an incentive for people to gather in the street or more probably to gather in the home. That is the opposite of what local restrictions here are trying to do."

Pictures shared across social media showed people gathering on the streets or piling on to public transport en masse after venues were forced to close. Crowds were seen gathering on London’s Oxford Street as well as in Bristol, York and Newcastle.

Since Thursday all hospitality venues have been placed under tighter restrictions around operations, including an enforced closure time of 10pm.

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson has also expressed concerns, saying the curfew is "making things more dangerous".

Picture: Shutterstock