Last night, at around 7.30pm staff at some retail stores were clearing the shelves to leave the shops empty of stock whilst they temporarily close. The lights were on at LK Bennet on James Street with a single member of staff on the phone sitting at a desk in the back of the empty shop- sacks of rubbish sitting in the entrance.



It was a similar picture at SpaceNK around the corner.



At 7.30pm, Harrogate's usually busy Saturday nightlife would normally just be coming to life. But last night everything was shut except the town's takeaway restaurants. Some bars had decided to switch their lights off - others kept them on.

It was a scene none of us could have imagined a few months ago.