Power to close beaches if social distancing is not respected, says Hancock

As hundreds of thousands of people flock to the beach to enjoy the good weather, the overcrowding and mass defiance of social-distancing has been referred to as a 'major incident'.

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, made a statement on national radio that he had the power to close beaches if social distancing measures were not respected, but that this would be a reluctant decision.

The Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, has warned that coronavirus cases will rise again if regulations are ignored.

Beaches on the Dorset coast, particularly in Bournemouth, have been popular with half a million visitors since the summer weather has improved in the UK.

Local authorities had to initiate a multi-agency emergency against the swathes of people for the subsequent problems of violence and anti-social behaviour, the build-up of traffic and excessive waste. They requested that the national government should step in to help councils that were overstretched.

Moreover, the gridlock caused by masses of parked cars prevented ambulances from attending emergency incidents.

Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East, said he was concerned that the flocking of people and lack of distance between them was 'irresponsible' and 'dangerous', amid fears of a second spike of COVID-19 cases.

Despite this, the UK has overall had a fall of infection numbers even as lockdown restrictions are being eased.

People are being urged to stay away from the area, as local services to keep people safe are being over-stretched.

Yesterday was the second day that the UK experienced record hot weather. Heathrow Airport recorded a high of 33.3C and Bournemouth seeing highs of 30C. But temperatures are set to lower by Friday, with thunderstorms expected for most of the UK.