Crowds at beach spark concern
The hot weather saw visitors flock to West Wittering beach last week, prompting concerns about social distancing.
David Harvey, who visited on Thursday with his family, said he had never seen the beach so crowded and said it was ‘a shambles’.
Capacity at the beach car park has been reduced to help control visitor numbers, but Mr Harvey said: “I just feel they need to sell less tickets.”
Another visitor, Laura Bolton, said she ended up returning home because the beach was so busy.
James Crespi, chief operating officer of the West Wittering Estate, said demand to visit last week was ‘extreme’. Security staff have been employed to ensure that only pre-booked visitors were allowed into the car park, but he said the beach was busy due to the number of people who had parked elsewhere and walked in.
Hundreds of sun-seekers descended on West Wittering beach last week to enjoy some of the hottest days of the year so far – but some visitors complained that the crowds made social distancing ‘impossible’.
David Harvey, who visited on Thursday with his family, having booked a parking ticket in advance as required, said he had never seen the beach so crowded.
He said: “The website assured us that they have reduced visitor numbers in order to keep everyone safe.
“It turned out to be a shambles.
“It was as if they hadn’t factored in the tide: as the waters rose, people retreated to an ever smaller slice of sand, and social distancing even to one metre became
impossible.”
Commenting online, Laura Bolton said her 45-minute journey to the beach ended up taking 1.5 hours.
When she arrived, she said: “It was so rammed with people that I wasn’t able to socially distance safely so I came home! £8 for nothing.”
James Crespi, chief operating officer of the West
Wittering Estate, said the beach was ‘extremely busy’ due to the number of people who had parked elsewhere and walked in.
This was despite the estate’s ‘extensive efforts’ to publicise the fact that anyone without a pre-booked ticket for the car park, which has reduced capacity, should not drive to the beach – including road signage ten miles out.
He said the estate could not control the public highways ‘or indeed if people decide to ignore our advice and travel to the area without a ticket’.
On the beach, he said: “Social distancing measures were in place at the toilet facilities and café and, in general, there was sufficient space on the beach but due to the sheer number who decided to turn up without a ticket, there were certain times of the day where social distancing would have been challenging.”
The estate collected over 12 tonnes of rubbish from the beach over the two hottest days and sent a team into the village in the early hours to clear litter left by the public.
Mr Crespi said: “West Wittering Estate have met with local authorities and continue to review policy in this very challenging, unprecedented time.”