Giant effigy of Guy Fawkes in a face mask with vaccine needles in his arms set ...

Giant effigy of Guy Fawkes in a face mask with vaccine needles in his arms set ...
Giant effigy of Guy Fawkes in a face mask with vaccine needles in his arms set ...

Bonfire night celebrations have returned in the UK as a giant effigy of Matt Hancock hugging his lover and Guy Fawkes wearing a face mask were spotted in Lewes. 

The effigies will burn tonight in Lewes as the country's biggest November 5 celebrations return after coronavirus lockdowns last year. 

A glum Matt Hancock is seen sitting on a rock while hugging a naked woman above a sign that reads, 'CCTV in operation,' a reference to his affair with Gina Coladangelo that was revealed earlier this year via his office's CCTV cameras.   

Lewes is famed for its topical and sometimes controversial bonfire night effigies and usually attracts thousands if not tens of thousands of revellers. 

In 2019 papier mache versions of Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg were seen atop a 'Brexit rollercoaster' which paraded down the street before being burnt.

A giant effigy of Guy Fawkes wearing a face mask with vaccine needles in his arms is seen in Lewes

A giant effigy of Guy Fawkes wearing a face mask with vaccine needles in his arms is seen in Lewes

A glum Matt Hancock is seen sitting on a rock while hugging a naked woman above a sign that reads, 'CCTV in operation,' a reference to his affair with Gina Coladangelo that was revealed earlier this year via his office's CCTV cameras

A glum Matt Hancock is seen sitting on a rock while hugging a naked woman above a sign that reads, 'CCTV in operation,' a reference to his affair with Gina Coladangelo that was revealed earlier this year via his office's CCTV cameras

Other effigies in Lewes feature more traditional portrayals of the gunpowder plot of 1605

Other effigies in Lewes feature more traditional portrayals of the gunpowder plot of 1605 

Firle bonfire torchlit procession near Lewes last Saturday which dates back to 1879

Firle bonfire torchlit procession near Lewes last Saturday which dates back to 1879 

And the year before that a giant portrayal of Boris Johnson holding an axe and Theresa May's severed head was set on fire. 

Two Trump figures were set alight in Lewes in 2016, at the culmination of its annual fireworks event.

Other effigies which went up in flames in Lewes included Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and David Cameron. 

In 2014, Sussex Police investigated after two effigies of Alex Salmond featured as part of two bonfire societies' displays after he lost the Scottish referendum vote as first minister. 

In the same year Vladimir Putin was depicted in a mankini following Russia's conflict with the Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea. 

The Pope, Syria's President Assad, former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Angela Merkel have all been subjected to ridicule over the years.  

The Guy Fawkes effigy sits atop two wooden barrels near a petrol can and a roll of toilet paper that says 'panic buyers'

The Guy Fawkes effigy sits atop two wooden barrels near a petrol can and a roll of toilet paper that says 'panic buyers' 

A giant effigy depicting Guy Fawkes with Covid 19 vaccine needles in his arms and a PPE face mask is seen before being set alight later today

A giant effigy depicting Guy Fawkes with Covid 19 vaccine needles in his arms and a PPE face mask is seen before being set alight later today

Six bonfire societies burn effigies every year in the town's famed bonfire display but their identities are usually kept a secret until the night. 

Given the time it takes to build them, the figures are usually media villains in the spotlight in the weeks leading up to the event.

But emergency services fear that the event may draw packed crowds which could cause the spread of coronavirus. 

So warnings have been issued urging people not to be complacent over Covid and the message to stay local is 'doubly important this year'.    

Precautionary measures include no trains running after 5pm from Lewes, Glynde or Southease, while several roads around Lewes will be closed overnight and people have been encouraged to not take cars into the town. 

This effigy of Donald Trump sitting on a wall was burned in Lewes in 2016

This effigy of Donald Trump sitting on a wall was burned in Lewes in 2016 

Another Trump figure was set alight in Lewes in 2016 as he rode a donkey in a sombrero and held a clown mask

NEXT In news vacuum, rumours and concern swirl over Catherine mogaznewsen