As the government guidelines for England changed to allow people to travel, sunbath and take unlimited exercises, and the weather stayed dry and sunny, people flocked to beaches. Southend, Bournmouth and Newquay were some of the places flooded with visitors with many apparently unconcerned about public health issues. The amount of litter dumped near overflowing bins or strewn across beaches and promenades has also become a matter of concern. After weeks of litter-free empty beaches, rubbish bins are overflowing. Click here to read more

Norfolk Chief Constable Simon Bailey said he feared there was a perception that lockdown was “done and dusted” and Sefton Council launched a “Wish you weren’t here” campaign ahead of the Bank Holiday with a spoof holiday postcard to deter people from flocking to Merseyside beaches at the weekend. Click here

In Southend, councillor Martin Terry said “We’ve had days where we’ve had over 300,000 people come down here”.

“All we can do is advise people [to] please, please be safe – stay apart and be sensible”.