Drinkers flocked to pubs and bars across Britain for a final weekend of freedom before the Government's tough new 'rule of six' comes into force next week.
Revellers gathered in busy beer gardens in London, Manchester and Nottingham en masse on Friday ahead of the tightening of lockdown rules in the UK from Monday, reports the Daily Mail.
Police forces across the UK on Saturday urged the public to exercise restraint and stay away from large gatherings ahead of the new "rule of six" lockdown rules that will officially come into force from Monday, amid a spike in coronavirus infections across the country.
The chairman of the organisation representing police officers across England and Wales asked people to resist any temptation for a weekend of gatherings ahead of the stricter rules restricting indoor and outdoor gatherings to just six at a time, the breach of which comes with a GBP 100 fine.
"There is a real risk some members of the public will take advantage of the current situation and treat this weekend as a party weekend ahead of the tighter restrictions being introduced on Monday," said John Apter, of the Police Federation of England and Wales.
In a series of tougher localised lockdowns, new measures banning people from mixing in homes and gardens will be imposed on Birmingham, Solihull and Sandwell from Tuesday as the rate of infection - crossed the crucial mark of one for the first time since the lockdown was gradually eased from June.
