Shocking footage shows people having an ‘impromptu party’ on the streets of central London after 10pm curfew

Footage has emerged of people in Central London having an impromptu street party – on the first Friday night since a 10pm curfew came into effect across England and Wales.

BBC producer and reporter Charlie Haynes posted the footage to Twitter, just half an hour after the curfew kicked in.

He remarked:

It really is packed here.

The footage shows a crowd of people congregating in London’s Oxford Circus and dancing in the street.

And it’s got people talking about where the blame should lie – the policy makers or the individuals?

The 10pm curfew essentially drives people out from pubs and bars and onto the streets at the same time, prompting many to blame the government for an “ineffective” policy:

The 10pm curfew also reportedly led to people clambering onto public transport in crowds to get home.

While others believe responsibility lies on the shoulders of the people not social distancing:

On the first night of the 10pm curfew coming into effect on Thursday, people noted similar scenes in central London.

One even remarked that the streets were the “busiest” they had seen it in months.

The rates of coronavirus have seen a steady rise in recent days, bringing the total up to 423,000 cases and 41,936 deaths since the pandemic began earlier this year.