HUNDREDS of pub-goers poured on to city centre streets as venues shut for the final time before lockdown.

Armed police were stationed in Brighton as waves of revellers left sites across the city tonight.

The pavements were overflowing with people in West Street as large groups gathered outside pubs, with venues all appearing to stick rigidly to the government-mandated 10pm curfew intended to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The Argus:

A busker in nearby Duke Street drew an impressive crowd who joined him in a rendition of Oasis's Wonderwall.

The group of about 40 people were surrounded by a semi-circle of police as they sang and danced along to the cult track.

After the music stopped and a police van pulled into the street, the cluster of people slowly dispersed.

The Argus:

The Post and Telegraph JD Wetherspoon pub in North Street was closed by 9.50pm after a large group gathered outside the entrance to the venue.

The boisterous group began chanting loudly, and then an altercation appeared to break out between them and another person in the street.

Police again arrived to separate the opposing parties, with eight officers, a police car and a force van at the scene at the height of the incident.

The Argus:

"It's just like a Saturday night," one person observed as they walked past the site of the scuffle.

As tensions subsided, one of the group continued to hammer on the door of the Wetherspoon pub for a couple of minutes in an attempt to regain entry, before giving up and moving on.

Another person in the street bellowed a chant of, "Happy Lockdown".

But he was only met with a smattering of half-hearted cheers.

The Argus:

Armed police were stationed at Brighton Clock Tower and the railway station throughout the night, with other officers patrolling the city's busier streets to keep the calm.

West Street was the busiest in Brighton's after pubs closed, with large numbers continuing to party in the street.

Many revellers congregated outside off-licences after picking up a couple more drinks from the stores.

Occasional fireworks flashed in the sky overhead with their bangs and crackles bouncing off city centre buildings.

Then, in dribs and drabs, small groups would segregate off from the crowd and amble away, with many making a beeline for Queen's Road and the railway station.

The scenes of revelry in West Street were vast, but short lived.

The Argus:

By 10.30pm, the street was almost empty.

The second UK national lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday.

The new measures mean that hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs, who were already under a 10pm curfew, will be forced to close until December 2.

The Argus:

Sites providing takeaways, delivery options or a click and collect service may remain open.

Government advice states that "in general, you must not meet people socially".

Households are not allowed to mix indoors or in private gardens, and people are being told to stay two metres apart from anyone not in their household.