THEY’VE TORN THE PANTS OUT OF IT!
Hordes shrug off expert’s stark warning not to abuse lockdown easing
THOUSANDS of people flocked to beaches and nature spots yesterday despite public health warnings to stay away amid the pandemic.
Britain’s most popular shorelines were packed with sun-seekers enjoying the scorching temperatures ahead of eased restrictions today.
England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van Tam had pleaded with Britons on Saturday “not to tear the pants out of” the loosened lockdown as more freedoms were granted.
But there was little sign of social distancing as hundreds queued shoulder-to-shoulder to buy ice creams and order drinks.
Impossible
Hundreds descended on to the seven-mile stretch of beach in Bournemouth, Dorset, yesterday despite the county’s Chief Constable James Vaughan appealing to people to stay away.
He said: “Despite the ongoing lockdown measures, we are experiencing a high volume of visitors to Dorset and this is in part due to the beautiful weather we are experiencing. However, what is apparent is that in some locations social distancing cannot be adhered to because of the sheer number of people there.”
Conditions on Brighton beaches were deemed unsafe yesterday as huge numbers of people made social distancing impossible and led to anti-social behaviour.
A council spokesman said: “The numbers of people visiting the city to spend time on our seafront are making physical distancing impossible and there are reports of adults urinating in public – in front of families with small children.
“Most of our seafront public toilets are open but the sheer numbers of people means the queues for the toilets are often long.”
The Ruislip Lido in west London was also jammed with people soaking up the sunshine. Some were pictured playing ball games or basking with family wearing face shields to protect against coronavirus. Camber
Sands, East Sussex, was also filled with day trippers enjoying the high temperatures.
As further restrictions are eased, Britain will continue to bask in glorious sunshine at the start of the week, with temperatures remaining in their high 20s.
The Met Office said: “Most areas will have another dry and bright day with plenty of very warm sunshine.
“Some coastal areas in North East England and eastern Scotland will start off cloudier though.”
But temperatures are expected to drop further into the week as a band of rain moves over parts of Britain.
Meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “The fine weather continues into Monday, it probably won’t be quite as hot as the weekend but still above average temperatures, mid-20s.
“On Tuesday we start to see a change. I think in the South East it could be even hotter than this weekend, we could get 28C possibly even 29C. Towards northern parts that’s when we’ll start to see the weather taking a bit of a turn.
“There will be a change during the middle part of the week. For some it could start around Tuesday, but the fine weather could hold on until Thursday.”