Packed beaches in Bournemouth in England have forced the local council to declare a ‘major incident’.
Thousands of people have headed to the seaside, some defying social-distancing rules, on what’s become the hottest day of the year so far.
The local council said services were left “completely overstretched” as visitors arrived in huge volumes resulting in widespread illegal parking, gridlock on roads, excessive waste, antisocial behaviour including excessive drinking and fights and prohibited overnight camping.
Some motorists had to queue for two hours to get into Bournemouth and car parks were full by 9am on Thursday. 558 parking fines in a few hours was the highest ever.
Crews suffered abuse and intimidation in trying to empty overflowing bins on the seafront. Security was put in to protect refuse crews as they collected more than 40 tonnes of rubbish.
Bournemouth beach bustling on the warmest day of the year so far – the day after further lockdown easing measures were announced by the government
🎥|@AndyMatthews_PA pic.twitter.com/Sf5WRIRIei
— Joe Pickover (@JPickover) June 24, 2020
