Police were called to manage disorderly queues in Bristol on Wednesday evening after the offer of free protective glasses for the solar eclipse saw people sprinting towards a stall at Sea Walls. We The Curious was distributing complimentary solar glasses ahead of the partial eclipse, but scenes were likened to "a scene from Independence Day" as thousands descended on the area for the rare celestial spectacle, during which at least 90 per cent of the sun will be obscured by the moon.
Officers deployed as crowds scramble
The partial eclipse began just after 6pm, with maximum eclipse taking place around an hour later at just after 7pm. With the next eclipse of this magnitude not expected for nearly 70 years, Brits were understandably keen not to miss the occasion, reports Bristol Live. Officers were deployed to manage the queue at Sea Walls as crowds scrambled for the complimentary glasses.
An eyewitness reported that some individuals became disruptive when they were unable to get their glasses. They further noted that parking at Sea Walls is non-existent, with cars left double and triple-parked on the surrounding grass.
Eye safety warnings
Gazing directly at the sun during an eclipse poses a serious risk and can cause irreversible damage to your eyesight. Ophthalmologists have issued repeated warnings, stressing that staring directly at the sun can lead to severe and lasting eye injuries, even when only a partial eclipse is occurring. The only safe way to observe the eclipse is by wearing specialist solar eclipse glasses that carry ISO 12312-2 certification, according to experts. Standard sunglasses offer nowhere near adequate protection.
Glasses sell out across the country
Convenience stores, national parks and the Royal Greenwich Observatory all exhausted their stocks of glasses ahead of the eclipse, which was the most complete the country will witness for the next 54 years. The Royal Greenwich Observatory confirmed to the Press Association that it had sold approximately 15,000 pairs of eclipse glasses – a sellout – over the course of the past month.
