SUSSEX Police arrested 141 people in 38 hours as pubs, bars, restaurants and more reopened on “Super Saturday”.

There were concerns ahead of the weekend that easing of lockdown rules would see people forget about social distancing rules and flock to their favourite haunts.

And this was true in some areas of the UK, with huge crowds congregating in the streets of Soho in London

Meanwhile John Apter, national chairman of the police federation, said he and his colleagues “dealt with antisocial behaviour, naked men, possession of class A drugs, happy drunks, angry drunks, fights, more angry drunks and was called a fascist pig” during a late shift in Southampton on Saturday night.

“What was crystal clear is that drunk people can’t/won’t socially distance,” he said.

But officers in Sussex thanked residents and business-owners for a well-behaved weekend.

The force revealed that 42 arrests were made between 6pm on Friday and 8am on Saturday, with a further 24 people detained between 8am and 5pm that day.

The greatest number of arrests was seen between 5pm on Saturday and 8am on Sunday, with 75 people detained in this time across the county.”

But Sussex Police said these figures were “broadly in line with what we would expect” and added that they “cover all aspects of our policing operations, not just those related to the easing of the lockdown.

Superintendent Graham Barnett said: “The reopening of pubs and restaurants over the weekend passed generally without incident and I would like to thank both the premises owners and operators, along with their customers, for the responsible way in which they made their return to business, albeit under somewhat different circumstances to what we are used to.

“While Saturday evening was a little busier for us than in recent lockdown months, that was not surprising and we were fully prepared.

“However, it was really not much different to what we would have expected on a ‘normal’ July night.

“Moving forward, I would reiterate my appeal to people to enjoy themselves, but to act responsibly and stay safe.

“Please continue to take note of the new restrictions in place, don’t congregate outside licensed premises and avoid large crowds to keep each other safe.”

“Social distancing restrictions remain in place and large gatherings continue to be prohibited. It is not our responsibility to police social distancing as this is guidance and not law, but we are expecting you to take personal responsibility to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.”