Cornwall police send tourists home in dawn campsite raids
POLICE launched dawn raids on caravans and campsites yesterday, ordering tourists to go home and stop flouting lockdown rules.
As crowds of people continued to flock to beaches and parks, councils and tourism chiefs warned visitors they were putting others in danger and creating “absolute chaos”.
Officers in Newquay acted after large groups spent the evening drinking and partying. “We identified some visitors that had travelled to Newquay and stayed overnight against Public Health England advice and legislation,” they wrote on Twitter just after 6am.
“With engagement, explanation and education they moved on.”
Cornwall residents expressed anger that some visitors to the Lizard had set up tents and stayed overnight in vans at spots including the National Trust car park, with “blatant disregard” to public safety.
With the good weather forecast to continue over the bank holiday weekend, one council chief said he was “pulling his hair out” as he acknowledged there was little they could do to deter the crowds from descending. In
Brighton, marshals will be stationed at the beach’s busiest point to disperse groups for “public safety”.
A Brighton and Hove council spokesman said it was “extremely concerned” about the lack of social distancing on the beach and admitted that eased lockdown rules posed “a challenge”.
“The bars are open for takeaway but there are no public lavatories open, which creates its own problems,” she said. “We will be encouraging visitors to spread out and make use of the long stretches of beach available.”
Brighton residents also complained that camper vans and caravans had been parked up overnight, despite rules stating only day trips are allowed.
Several coastal areas have issued urgent warnings about the lack of lifeguards on duty this weekend.
The danger was illustrated when two young children on body boards were swept out to sea in St Ives on Wednesday and were rescued by an off-duty lifeguard sitting on the beach.
Authorities from Skegness to Somerset pleaded with day trippers to stay away, noting that they simply could not guarantee their safety. Sefton council designed a spoof postcard to deter people from Merseyside’s beaches, with the slogan: “Wish you weren’t here!”
Matt Dent, a Labour councillor in Southend, said: “It isn’t Southend residents, it’s people travelling from outside the borough who seem to think lockdown is lifted, and Covid-19 is no longer a threat,” he said. “It is a small minority … acting in this foolish and irresponsible manner.”
Andrea Davis, a Devon county councillor, said Woolacombe had been “inundated” with visitors, causing “absolute chaos”. Tourists were also criticised for leaving litter on parks and beaches, with locals from Southsea and Exmouth to Tynemouth and Blackpool posting photographs of piles of bottles, barbecues and nappies online.
Lee Dolan, from Scarborough, said he picked up about 50 glass bottles. “It seems a shame,” he said. “During the lockdown, we’ve been so peaceful. Straight away they’ve done this.”
At the Downing Street press conference yesterday Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said those flouting social distancing risked taking the UK back to “square one”.
‘We identified visitors that had travelled to Newquay and stayed overnight against PHE advice’