England: On Thursday, a popular beach town in southern England- Bournemouth witnessed a major incident. The authorities called the irresponsible behaviour of crowds who had ignored public health guidance on coronavirus and badly overstretched local services.
“We are absolutely appalled at the scenes witnessed on our beaches, particularly at Bournemouth and Sandbanks, in the last 24-48 hours,” said Council Leader Vikki Slade in a statement.
“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.”
In a spell of hot weather, visitors arrived in very large numbers which resulted in gridlocking on the roads, illegal overnight camping, excessive waste, anti-social behaviour and alcohol-fuelled fights.
To slow the spread of the new coronavirus, social distancing measures have been in place in Britain since March; but from the 4th of July the rules are due to be significantly relaxed.
To meet friends and drink alcohol, many people have been heading to parks and beaches as the pubs are still closed with few even ignoring advice to keep 2 metres apart.
As a part of the extra emergency response, extra police patrols, security to protect rubbish collectors, additional parking enforcement, evictions of unauthorised campers and signage on approach roads warning people not to come will be involved in Bournemouth.
On Thursday morning, from the stretch of coastline in and around the town, 33 tonnes of waste had to be removed. As the crews attempted to empty overflowing bins, they were abused and illegal parking had obstructed the roads.
“We strongly advise members of the public to think twice before heading to the area,” said Sam de Reya of the local police force. “Clearly we are still in a public health crisis and such a significant volume of people heading to one area places a further strain on emergency service resources.”