Anger as crowds flock to beaches
CROWDS gathered on Sefton’s beaches on Bank Holiday Saturday despite the lockdown remaining in force.
Beaches at Ainsdale and Formby were inundated with visitors, although official rules still stated people should only go out for one form of exercise per day and not travel far from home.
Those rules were relaxed as of yesterday (Wednesday, May 13) but remained in place throughout the weekend before Boris Johnson’s announcement on Sunday.
Long queues were seen travelling towards Ainsdale beach over the weekend, with fears raised over lack of social distancing.
One resident in Formby described seeing people parking in front of houses, and people flocking to Formby beach carrying pizzas and picnic boxes.
And Twitter user Jo Gibson tweeted: “Went for a drive today as the kids have been nowhere since lockdown. We didn’t stop anywhere, didn’t even have the windows open. #Formby village busy as was the road to the Pinewoods. No social distancing.”
A fire was started in Formby pinewoods just weeks after a similar incident caused damage to a large stretch of grass and shrubs on dunes in Ainsdale.
A spokesman for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service reacted with anger to the latest incident, which led to police chasing a group of youths responsible for starting it on Saturday night.
The spokesman said: “Shocking behaviour in dry weather could have led to a major fire.
“Parents – do you know where your child is and what they are doing?
“Have a word, and keep them in.”
Pictures taken on Sunday showed the scale of litter and fire damage left behind. Meanwhile, police also broke up a barbecue near Crosby Beach on May 7 where visitors had brought food and crates of beer, in direct contradiction of the government’s advice.
Speaking at the weekend, Matt Leat, duty commander with the Coastguard, said: “People are ignoring the measures put into place by the Government.
“I completely understand that the weather and the bank holiday coupled with the fact that we’ve been in this lockdown situation for just over six weeks has tempted people out to our beautiful coasts. However, it’s really vital that we all continue to observe the guidance.
“Every time we get a 999 or distress call, we will always respond but the minute we send in a rescue response, we’re putting our frontline responders at risk as well as putting the NHS under avoidable pressure.”