A Christmas market in a tier three city has closed down after being heavily criticised over a lack of social distancing.

Hundreds of people appeared to break coronavirus restrictions in Nottingham on Saturday and later there even appeared to be a ‘street party’ nearby. 

Pictures shared online showed large crowds gathered in Old Market Square, with organisers admitting that ‘unprecedented high footfall’ forced them to temporarily shut the outdoor market. 

It comes as Christmas shoppers nationwide turned out in force for England’s first weekend following a second national lockdown. On Sunday, the Mellors Group — which operates the Christmas market — said it would shut following the scenes on Saturday, which onlookers described as ‘crazy’. 

Nottinghamshire Police said officers were at the Winter Wonderland market all day to provide visible presence and to break up large crowds in the area.

Games designer Luke Brown, 24, from the city’s Meadows area, said there were at least a couple of hundred people at the market, and branded it ‘crazy’.

He said: ‘I was on the outskirts of the market as there were so many people on the inside, many people were not wearing any masks at all and there was definitely no two-metre distancing.

‘I was highly uncomfortable being there so we literally went home after five minutes.’

The virus is far less likely to be spread in an outdoor setting, like the market, than an indoor equivalent.

In a statement, the Mellors Group said: ‘In light of the unprecedented high footfall seen up and down the country for retail nationally, we have decided to temporarily close the Christmas market (Sunday).

‘The pent-up demand for a city centre offer was far higher than normal and we feel this is the most appropriate way forward.

‘This will allow us to monitor footfall in the city centre today and ensure that our activities support residents and local businesses in an appropriate fashion.’

The city was placed in tier three – the harshest category – of the new Covid-19 restrictions, which came into force in England on Wednesday.

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