Preston’s first weekend under new lockdown measures went without major issues as police confirm they did not issue any covid-19 penalty notices.

Friday saw new restrictions come into force in a “watershed moment”to protect the city from the threat of coronavirus.

As infection rates continued to climb, central government stepped in to tighten up on moves by the city council to restrict the mixing of households.

Residents across the city were told they must not socialise with anyone outside their support bubble at home or in indoor spaces.

The latest figures showed a spike in cases among the under 30s with fears over young people who do not have any symptoms passing on the virus to more vulnerable members of the community.

Read more: Preston goes into local lockdown at midnight on August 7

Throughout the weekend, police visited bars and pubs across the city to ensure revellers were sticking to social distance guidelines and only socialising with members of their own households.

A video posted by Preston Police showed empty streets at 8:30pm on Saturday, with drinkers social distancing safely outside pubs in the city centre.

By midnight around 400 people were socialising in the city centre, with very few concerns noted.

A police spokesperson said: “There were no major issues in Preston. We are grateful to the majority who are adhering to the new regulations.”

Dr Sakhthi Kuraninthi, Director of Public Health for Lancashire, described the local lockdown as “a watershed moment” in the fight against coronavirus.

He said: “The restrictions that have been brought in are really necessary. While the guidance is legally enforceable in Preston it serves as an early warning for all of us [including South Ribble] that we must take every precaution to avoid social contact.”

Read more: Latest news from Blog Preston

Do you think the new lockdown measures are enough? Should pubs stay open?  Let us know in the comments section.