Beauty spots packed with visitors ignoring distancing rules

VISITORS DESCENDED on the Yorkshire countryside in huge numbers this weekend, with many flouting the Government’s social distancing guidelines and leaving litter behind.

With temperatures reaching the mid-20s, beauty spots around the region were packed with people. And many appeared to be ignoring the guidelines to stay two metres apart, which remain in place today despite restrictions being eased so members of two households can meet up.

Large groups gathered by the River Wharfe, in Ilkley, and revellers could be seen lounging on the sandy riverbank – known locally as ‘Pebble Beach’ – and queuing for an ice cream van.

Images taken by photographer Simon Wilkinson, above, showed detritus scattered all over banks of the river at 6am yesterday morning. Police also fined the owners of 15 cars which were parked inconsiderately or illegally. There were similar scenes further upstream in Burnsall, where litter was discarded after large crowds arrived for a day out in the Dales.

And a video sent to The Yorkshire Post shows a large group of people congregating in Pearson Park, in Hull, on Saturday. The group can be seen listening to music and socialising in large groups. One eyewitness said: “Us local residents were in despair once again. Nearly every day we see large gangs congregating in the parks with total disregard to social distancing rules.”

And a large number of youths gathered at Thomason Foss waterfalls, in the North York Moors.

Young people were seen ‘tombstoning’ – jumping off the falls into the pool below.

Separately, police have confirmed that a young man has died after he disappeared while swimming in the River Aire. The 25-year-old was with a friend in the Kirkstall area when he decided to swim on Saturday night.