Boozy freshers struggle to stay on their feet as they hit the town in Leeds and Sheffield with Covid lockdown looming

BOOZY freshers were seen struggling to stay on their feet as they hit the town in Leeds and Sheffield last night – with the threat of a second national lockdown looming.

Hundreds of students partied the night away in the two cities to mark the start of the new university term.

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One young woman stumbled to the ground during the evening while others hugged each other and sang in the street.

Those queuing up outside bars had their temperature tested by bouncers before entering.

Many appeared not to be following the new rule of six - a limit on large group gatherings in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus.

HIT THE TOWN

Parts of the North are currently in lockdown with other areas on the brink.

The country’s top scientists issued a Doomsday Covid warning to the nation this morning.

Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance said in a televised speech that the UK is at a “critical point”.

They said the UK could face 50,000 new coronavirus cases a day in just three weeks and deaths could soar if the bug continues to spread at its current rate.

In an unprecedented move, they addressed the nation without a minister alongside them.

LOCKDOWN FEARS

Yesterday’s figures showed coronavirus cases in the UK have risen by 3,899 and another 18 people have died.

The new cases take the UK's total to 394,257, with a death toll of 41,777.

Brits could go through on-off lockdowns for the next six months.

PM Boris Johnson is expected to announce a two-week "circuit breaker" lockdown to tackle the pandemic.

He is also expected to unveil £10,000 fines for Brits who fail to isolate.

He is looking at cutting pub opening hours, a ban on households mixing and tough penalties for those who flout the rules.