Coronavirus death toll written out in litter left on Edinburgh’s Meadows

Locals say Meadow was turned into an open-air party

Activists want to remind people that the pandemic is not over (Dode Allen/ Youtube)

Community activists have used discarded rubbish to write out Scotland’s Covid-19 death toll to “burn into people’s minds” the link between large gatherings and deaths from the disease.

A video shared on YouTube by Denny Hunter and his wife Alison Grieve shows empty bottles of Vodka, Gin and other spirits strewn across Edinburgh’s Meadows after revellers descended on the green space during the warm weather on Thursday.

Litter including a knife, nos canisters, face masks, plastic bags and boxes can be seen abandoned across the grass following what locals described as an open-air party.

Mr Hunter and Mrs Grieve, along with others from the area, used the rubbish to write out the number 2,842 – a reference to the number of people that have died in Scotland since the outbreak began.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon condemned the anti-social behaviour in a statement on Twitter and reminded people to continue following social distancing guidelines.

A vital reminder of the loss of life from COVID (and this is confirmed cases only),” the SNP leader wrote. “4119 people in total have lost their lives so far in Scotland.

“Number of deaths is now falling to very low levels – but if we don’t follow the rules, it will rise again. Don’t let that happen.”

A large brawl broke out at the Meadows late in the evening on what was Scotland’s hottest day of the year so far. Video shared online showed a large group of revellers fighting on a side street near the beauty spot.

As of Friday afternoon, there were 308,000 reported cases of Covid-19 in the UK and more than 43,000 deaths recorded.

Health secretary Matt Hancock has warned that the government will take action if social distancing measures are ignored after thousands flocked to beaches and beauty spots on Thursday.

Mr Hancock said on Thursday the government had the power to close public areas such as beaches if people flout safety restrictions.

It came after Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council declared a major incident after services were “completely overstretched” as huge numbers of visitors crowded onto the beaches during the day.