REVELLERS took to the streets of Oldham on Sunday as clubs reopened for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

A video shared on social media showed clubbers queueing around the corner to get into Liquid and Envy on Retiro Street.

The club opened on the strike of midnight, with clubbers undeterred at the prospect of partying at the 'Time To Dance' event into the early hours of a working day.

Another event, 'Straight Outta Lockdown', is happening on Monday, but the club is set to return to its usual schedule of opening on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

There was a mixed reaction to the video of clubbers queueing on social media, with some commenters expressing concern about the impact on an infection rate which is high and rising rapidly.

One said: "They'll all be positive for Covid in a couple of days. Another lockdown waiting to happen."

However, other commenters were much more optimistic about the arrival of so-called 'Freedom Day'.

One said: "Love this! Let normality commence!"

The Oldham Times got a similar reaction when asking its readers if it was the right decision to reopen the clubs in general.

One reader said: "With reports that the UK is leading in infections, and well over a thousand scientists, virologists and health experts saying that freedom day is a risk to the entire world, no.

"Stupidity," he added.

But another said: "Yes, everyone's missed out on so much, we've got to learn to live with it, or else we'll never do anything."

Meanwhile, police have said extra resources will be out on the streets of Greater Manchester to provide reassurance to the public on the return of the city's nightlife.

GMP's Superintendent Chris Hill said: "There may be large numbers of people out over the first weekend after the lifting of regulations, so it's advisable to be careful when mixing indoors with those who do not form part of your household.

"Be considerate of others and don't drink to excess.

"Our officers will be there to oversee the reopening of venues, but please do your bit to help us stay out of lockdown.

"Thank you to everyone who has continued to help in getting us to this stage where we can start getting back to some sort of normality.

"We're grateful for your cooperation and hopefully you'll be able to safely enjoy some time with friends and family."