Major incident declared in Bournemouth as thousands of people flock to beaches

A major incident has been declared in Bournemouth after thousands of people descended on the area’s beaches as temperatures soared.

Council leaders say the numbers of people flooding the seaside in the last two days are “like those seen on a bank holiday”.

People are being told to stay away, with dispersal orders issued on beach piers, overnight campers evicted and additional police patrols brought in.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council said people had “defied advice to stay away” and condemned them as “irresponsible” as services struggle to cope.

Visitors swarmed to Britain’s beaches as the country sweltered in its two hottest days of the year so far, peaking at 32.6C (90.68F) yesterday and 33.3°C (91.94F) today, both recorded at Heathrow Airport.

The influx of beachgoers has caused “widespread” problems with illegal parking, “excessive” littering, gridlock on roads and anti-social behaviour, Bournemouth Council said.

There were a number of reported incidents of fights and excessive alcohol use, while cleaning crews received “abuse and intimidation” as they attempted to empty overflowing bins on the seafront.

Along the full stretch of coastline, 33 tonnes of waste were cleaned up on Thursday morning, in addition to eight tonnes collected between the piers on Wednesday.

The council said it has issued 558 parking fines – its highest number on record – and responded to numerous reports of parked cars causing an obstruction.

Roads in and out of the area remained heavily congested into the early hours of this morning.

Tobias Ellwood, Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, warned the gridlocked roads are “hindering emergency vehicles” and said he requested extra police officers for the area if needed.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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.”

She added: “The numbers of people descending down here are like those seen on a bank holiday… PLEASE do not come.”

Conor Burns, MP for Bournemouth West, said the crowds on Wednesday were “the worst I’ve ever seen it”, adding: “This cannot go on.”

A multi-agency emergency response is now co-ordinating resources across the area to tackle the issues, with additional police patrols, security in place to protect refuse workers and additional parking enforcement.

Dorset Police has urged people to “think twice” before heading to the area and said the number of visitors has caused a “significant increase in demand” for its services.

It is not the only area which has struggled to deal with unruly visitors. On Wednesday evening, police were called to a mass brawl involving a crowd of youths at the seafront in Exmouth, Devon.

(c) Sky News 2020: Major incident declared in Bournemouth as thousands of people flock to beaches