Glad you weren’t here?
Packed beaches spark fresh fears on England’s lockdown easing... while South Wales beauty spots remain largely empty
TEMPERATURES across the UK soared on the weekend but while people in Wales appeared to be staying at home and soaking up the sun from their gardens and doorsteps it appeared to be a different picture elsewhere.
In England, beaches were packed, car parks full and in Dorset, three people were taken by air ambulance to hospital after being injured jumping off cliffs.
The rules on what you can and can’t do in Wales, England and Scotland during lockdown are different.
In Wales – before new rules came into force today – people were only allowed to go outside for limited reasons including to exercise in their local area, for shopping and medicine, or to visit a garden centre, tip or recycling centre. From today, they may also meet up with someone from a different household, but only if it’s outdoors and, “as a general rule”, only if it’s within five miles.
But in England people have been allowed to travel, with no limit on the distance, and can meet outside with a person from a different household. Those rules will be relaxed further from today.
In Scotland people from two households can meet outside but the maximum number should not exceed eight people.
On Saturday, beaches in Wales like Whitmore Bay at Barry Island appeared quiet for a sunny Saturday in May.
By contrast, Durdle Door in Dorset had reams of visitors who had to be evacuated after the air ambulance landed on the beach.
Images posted on social media by Purbeck Police in Dorset on Saturday show the aircraft landing on the sand and crowds leaving the beach en masse as the area was evacuated.
HM Coastguard and the RNLI are helping to clear the area after police were called at around 3.45pm to reports that three people had been seriously injured jumping from a 200ft high sea arch.
Despite police subsequently shutting the beach, scores of people yesterday defied the order and returned to the beach. Some so-called tombstoners could again be seen jumping from the cliff despite the obvious dangers.
The busy scenes on Saturday were similar around England’s beaches in terms of crowds as seaside destinations like Southend-on-Sea were packed with sunbathers.
Car parks in England were seen teeming with vehicles, while the car park at Llansteffan beach was closed.
At Barry Island, the roads leading to car parks were closed and police officers patrolled the area.
Cardiff ’s Roath Park recreation ground was also a spot that seemed a lot quieter than usual for this time of year.
Some people could be seen doing their daily exercise, but the grounds were a lot emptier than usual.
But in parts of England pictures capture a rather different story such as London’s Greenwich Park.
In Cardiff Bay, it was slightly busier but by no means what it would be like on your normal weekend in such lovely weather.
A few people could be seen walking and having a ride on their bikes but, apart from that, the area remained pretty calm.
In England, people flocked to beaches and train stations to enjoy the sunny weather ahead of lockdown restrictions being eased there on Monday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that people will be able to spend time outdoors, including in private gardens, with up to six people from different households from today.
They will also be able to visit car showrooms and outdoor markets. On Saturday it was announced that people in England will also be able to exercise in groups of up to six people from different households.
But the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) complained that “mixed messages” from the UK Government had caused travel chaos.
Bournemouth train station, near Bournemouth Beach, was described
by RMT union leaders as “the eye of the storm”.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “The hopeless mixed messaging from the Government and the impact of the (Dominic) Cummings affair has resulted in predictable chaos on the railway today, with Bournemouth at the eye of the storm.
“This is on Boris Johnson and he cannot shirk responsibility.
“RMT has warned that lifting the lockdown too quickly would soon result in chaos on our transport services, and here you have it.
“This union will take whatever action is required to protect the health, safety and livelihoods of our members.”
Despite the quiet scenes in parts of Wales, police still had to deal with a number of instances of people flouting lockdown rules.
Ryan Francis, chief inspector for policing in Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Torfaen, said a number of resources were used to break up 40 young people having a party in a wooded area of Caerphilly on Friday.
He tweeted: “Some people just aren’t getting the message! Parents need to know where their teenagers are!”
In Pembrokeshire, the Pembroke Docks local policing team was met by 13 people who travelled hundreds of miles to Stackpole from the West Midlands on Saturday.
The force said the group became abusive toward PCSOs when asked to leave and were eventually issued fines and sent home.
“One vehicle had no MOT either.. you couldn’t make it up,” they wrote on Twitter.
Dyfed-Powys Police said special constables on foot patrol in Tenby stopped an extended family driving from Swindon to go to the beach. They were fined and sent home for the breach.
A local policing team in the Elan Valley said they stopped a motorist who was travelling to Wales from Hampshire to buy a dog.
In South Wales, police urged parents to check in on their children after reports of anti-social behaviour.
“These reports include jumping into water from a height - known as tombstoning - and underage drinking,” they tweeted.
“These are potentially dangerous, and some are illegal. They’re also a breach of Welsh Government restrictions, for which parents could be liable.
“Please consider the impact this behaviour may have on other people, on our health service, and on efforts to defeat this virus,” they said.