LONDON (UK) – Authorities in Bournemouth, a widely popular beach town in southern England, declared a “major incident” on Thursday, which they said was the irresponsible behaviour of crowds who had ignored public health guidance on coronavirus and badly overstretched local services.
The declaration came in the wake of visitors arriving in large numbers in a spell of hot weather, resulting in traffic blocks, illegal overnight camping, excessive waste, anti-social behaviour and alcohol-fuelled fights.
“We are absolutely appalled at the scenes witnessed on our beaches, particularly at Bournemouth and Sandbanks, in the last 24-48 hours,” said Council Leader Vikki Slade in a statement.
“The irresponsible behaviour and actions of so many people is just shocking and our services are stretched to the absolute hilt trying to keep everyone safe.”
Social distancing measures have been in place in the UK since March to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, although they are slated to be significantly relaxed from July 4.
With pubs still remaining closed, many people have been heading to parks and beaches to socialise and drink alcohol, in some cases ignoring advice to keep 2 metres apart.
Roads in Bournemouth were obstructed by illegal parking, rubbish collectors were abused as they attempted to empty overflowing bins and 33 tonnes of waste had to be removed from the coastline on Thursday morning.
The emergency response will involve extra police patrols, security to protect rubbish collectors, additional parking enforcement, evictions of unauthorised campers and signage on approach roads warning people not to enter.
“We strongly advise members of the public to think twice before heading to the area,” said Sam de Reya of the local police force. “Clearly we are still in a public health crisis and such a significant volume of people heading to one area places a further strain on emergency service resources.”
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field