Major incident declared as thousands flock to coast

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Major incident declared as thousands flock to coast

Postby dutchman » Thu Jun 25, 2020 5:03 pm

Sun-seekers have been urged to stay away from the beach as thousands flocked to the Dorset coast and a major incident was declared in Bournemouth

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Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council said it was "stretched to the absolute hilt" on the second day of a UK heatwave.

Dorset Police said there were reports of gridlocked roads, fights and overnight camping.

People were urged to "act responsibly" as temperatures hit the mid-20s.

By mid-morning Bournemouth beach was busy "as far as the eye can see" and the Durdle Door car park was approaching capacity.

Traffic built up early on coast-bound roads and with people having travelled to Bournemouth from as far as Birmingham.

Council leader Vikki Slade said: "We are absolutely appalled at the scenes witnessed on our beaches, particularly at Bournemouth and Sandbanks, in the last 24-48 hours.

"The irresponsible behaviour and actions of so many people is just shocking and our services are stretched to the absolute hilt trying to keep everyone safe. We have had no choice now but to declare a major incident and initiate an emergency response."

The council confirmed it had issued a record 558 parking fines and said extra enforcement was now in place.

It said 33 tonnes of waste was cleaned up along the coastline on Thursday morning, in addition to eight tonnes collected between the piers on Wednesday.

Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood said he had asked the government to dispatch additional officers to Dorset if needed.

"I have spoken to the police minister to say be prepared, be ready for Dorset Police to make that request, to say they are deluged with the traffic issues and anti-social behaviour," he said.

"It is very sad to see a number of people being selfish and also acting dangerously."

Extra police patrols have been brought in and security is in place to protect refuse crews who the council said faced "widespread abuse and intimidation" as they emptied overflowing bins.

From Bournemouth pier there are thousands of people as far as the eye can see. Some in the sea on inflatables, others sitting on the sand, there are significant [numbers of] gazebos - there is one group of about 50 people.

One man told me he camped in a tent overnight, a lot of people have come from Birmingham - a six-hour round trip. People were telling me they wanted to get "out and about" after lockdown.

One woman from Birmingham admitted she felt uncomfortable, but said: "You've got to understand, after three months lockdown in the city centre, even seeing the sea is worth it."

:bbc_news:


:rolling:
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Re: Major incident declared as thousands flock to coast

Postby rebbonk » Thu Jun 25, 2020 6:46 pm

Stupid is, as stupid does. You simply can't educate pork. :oops:
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Re: Major incident declared as thousands flock to coast

Postby dutchman » Fri Jul 31, 2020 5:04 pm

Beach crowds descend on Bournemouth, Brighton and Poole

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Police and council officers are patrolling the seafront in Bournemouth and Poole as thousands descend on the towns' beaches on the UK's hottest day of the year.

By 09:00 BST roads were gridlocked and a mobile app to aid social distancing on the beaches was showing red in three areas - meaning "avoid".

In June, a major incident was declared in Bournemouth because of the crowds.

Concerns have also been raised about the number of people in Brighton.

Brighton and Hove City Council said large numbers were making it "impossible to maintain physical distancing".

And in Kent, Thanet District Council said some of its most popular beaches were full.

Meteorologists said temperatures recorded at Heathrow had reached 37.8C (100.04F), making it the third warmest day ever recorded in the UK.

Dorset Police said its officers would be working longer shifts and some had their rest days cancelled to cope with the anticipated influx of visitors over the summer.

By 11:00 traffic marshals were already turning people away from Sandbanks car park and residents were urging the council to close the road.

By mid afternoon, nearly all of the seven-mile stretch of beach between Poole Harbour and Highcliffe was marked as red on the council's beach app, meaning "avoid, safe social distancing not possible".

Dorset Council said car parks at Lulworth and Durdle Door, on the Jurassic Coast, were also full and urged visitors to go elsewhere.

:bbc_news:
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Re: Major incident declared as thousands flock to coast

Postby Melisandre » Fri Jul 31, 2020 5:21 pm

:hysterical: May be Boris messages confused them as it certainly has confused the radio presenters.
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Re: Major incident declared as thousands flock to coast

Postby rebbonk » Fri Jul 31, 2020 6:31 pm

Boris has played a blinder. If we get out of this easily, he's done a great job. If it turns messy, he points the finger at those not following his rules and sets Hancock up as the fall guy.

I personally still think he's an ar$ehole though!
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