Coronavirus: thousands descend on British beach, sparking emergency incident
- Arrival of sun-seekers on hottest day of year results in traffic gridlock, widespread illegal parking, piles of rubbish and drunken fights
- Bournemouth authorities ‘appalled’ at scenes on beaches, saying seaside resort not ready for this many visitors amid pandemic
An English seaside resort declared a major incident on Thursday after thousands of people flocked to the beach on the hottest day of the year so far, despite the coronavirus threat.
Temperatures rose to a record 33.3 degrees Celsius (91.9 degrees Fahrenheit) at Heathrow Airport in west London, the Met Office said, a day after highs of 32.6 C saw huge crowds flock to the coast.
But the local authorities in Bournemouth said they were “appalled” at the scenes on its beaches, as the sunny weather saw an influx of thousands of people.
Their arrival resulted in gridlock on the roads, widespread illegal parking, piles of rubbish as well as antisocial behaviour including drunken fights, they said.
Visiting the beach is permitted after a nationwide coronavirus lockdown was eased, but people are still being urged to avoid large crowds, and pubs and restaurants do not open until July 4.
