England’s roads deserted as country watched Euro 2020 final, location data shows

Congestion levels shot straight up after game ended, with demand for tube journeys highest since before pandemic

Between 9pm and 10pm, congestion levels in London were at just three per cent, compared with 14 percent during the same period a week earlier (Getty Images)

England’s roads were eerily empty on Sunday as tens of millions of people watched the Euro 2020 final.

The match kicked off at 8pm and ended shortly before 11pm after a penalty shoot-out between England and Italy.

Between 9pm and 10pm, congestion levels in London were at just 3 per cent, compared with 14 per cent during the same period a week earlier, data from location technology firm TomTom showed.

Leicester saw a decrease from 23 per cent to 5 per cent in the same period and other cities, including Birmingham (from 11 per cent to 3 per cent), Liverpool (9 per cent to 3 per cent) and Manchester (9 per cent to 1 per cent), also registered sharp reductions.

Tube journeys also decreased in London while the match was on. According to Transport for London, 164,000 Tube journeys were made between 8pm and 11pm on Sunday, compared with 225,000 during the same period a week earlier.

However, after England’s loss, traffic soared with congestion levels between 11pm and midnight at 27 per cent in London, 13 per cent in Birmingham and Leicester, and 11 per cent in Liverpool and Manchester.

Some 209,000 tube journeys were also made between 11pm and midnight.

That was the highest demand for the Tube at that time of day since the start of the pandemic.

Additional reporting by PA