Ready for 70F? But heat is on to stay away from beaches
THE warmest weather so far this year is set to bathe Britain this weekend – but sun worshippers are being urged to enjoy it from their back garden.
Temperatures are tipped to hit 70F (21C) – and that would normally see families reaching for buckets and spades to go to the coast on the first weekend of the Easter school break.
But health officials and police chiefs are urging people not to flout Covid-19 lockdown restrictions by flocking to parks and beaches.
England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van Tam said: “Whatever the weather, we all have a shared responsibility to protect those around us.
“The single most important action we can all take in fighting coronavirus is to stay at home in order to protect the NHS and save lives.”
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Police forces have also issued warnings to people who are thinking of venturing out to enjoy the weather.
Officers in the Lake District are still advising visitors to leave the area and go home despite the widely publicised restrictions on movement.
Cumbria assistant chief constable, Andy Slattery said he was concerned that people might try to take advantage of the good weather conditions.
He said: “I am worried that people [who] had decided to stay at home, now a week, 10 days in, may be thinking they’ll just get in the car and go here or there.”
Northamptonshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Simon Blatchly said: “We completely understand how frustrating it is to be asked to stay inside when the weather is nice but there is something much bigger at play here – saving lives.
“The stakes really are that high.
We’re asking the public to consider whether their journeys this weekend are essential and we may have to ask people about their circumstances if they’re outdoors.”
The Metropolitan Police tweeted: “The weather is set to be warmer in London this weekend. Please don’t be tempted to go out and enjoy the weather, follow the rules put in place by the Government.”
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “Temperature-wise Sunday is going to be the highlight of the next few days.
“We are still under the influence of high pressure at the moment so there is still a decent amount of dry, settled weather around.
“Going into the weekend, the wind shifts. It has been a north-westerly wind, which has been keeping us all cold. But it will be coming from the south over the weekend. That means things will start to warm up.”