'Wish you weren’t here': Anger mounts as visitors flock to beauty spots and national parks

Thousands of people were accused of ignoring pleas to use their common sense on Saturday as beauty spots and national parks saw visitor numbers soar on first weekend since lockdown was eased.

Bosses of councils and national parks urged people to stay away rather than risk angering villagers who remained concerned that city dwellers pose a serious health risk because they could be carrying coronavirus.

The good weather, along with the cheapest petrol prices since 2016, is expected to see some 15 million drivers take to the roads this weekend.

It is the first time in eight weeks that people in England have been granted greater freedoms, with outdoor exercise no longer limited to once a day, and drives to visit English beaches and beauty spots now also permitted. However, people still have to follow social distancing guidelines.

Councils in Brighton and Hove, Scarborough and Whitby warned that roads leading to popular beauty spots would be closed if too many people flocked there.

The Peak District National Park warned that the Langsett areas was “extremely busy with car parks currently full and social distancing is difficult”.

Amid fears motorists unable to find space at tourist car parks were heading to the nearby villages, the authority warned that people may be concerned that their arrival could pose health risks.

A series of tweets urged visitors to “give the Peak District crucial breathing space to recover by staying local”.

Another online message simply stated: “Please don’t travel to the area or park outside designated bays.”

Cumbria Police also broke up a “super car meeting” in which motorists driving high performance sports cars were intercepted by officers near the M6. “Approximately 10 super cars [have been] escorted back to the motorway and sent to their respective counties,” the force said.

In the Yorkshire Dales eight people were handed Covid-19 fixed penalty notices after being caught sitting round a campfire at a remote listed building on the moors where they had pitched their tents for the night.

Car parks in Dartmoor had to be closed after becoming too crowded causing rangers to fear social distancing rules could be broken. The car parks at popular Haytor, Postbridge and Newbridge were locked by lunchtime.

However, there were complaints some police forces had adopted a heavy-handed approach with motorists claiming they were being wrongly stopped to account for their movements.

Officers were photographed pulling over cars on major Sussex roads to Brighton. Sussex Police had warned visitors to “be prepared to change your mind” if tourists discovered destinations were busy, adding: “Go somewhere quieter or visit another time.”

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said the region was largely protected from an influx of tourists because visitors, barred from staying overnight, consequently faced lengthy round trips which served as a deterrent.

Visit Weston-super-Mare and North Somerset Council were adamant they did not want tourists. One tourism group simply said “don’t visit Weston-super-Mare”, while the council declared “wish you weren’t here”.

Live traffic tracking by TomTom, a technology company, found congestion on roads around major cities including London, Birmingham, Newcastle and Bristol had increased by up to a fifth on Saturday compared to the same day last week.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn’s brother, Piers, was detained by police at a demonstration in Hyde Park, central London, after he used a megaphone to claim coronavirus was a “fake virus” linked to the 5G network.

The former Labour leader’s 73-year-old brother was among about 50 protesters who had amassed at Speaker’s Corner claiming the virus was being used to suppress civil rights.

As Mr Corbyn was led away in handcuffs into a police van there were boos at officers and chants of “shame on you”.

Have you noticed an uptick in people attending parks and beauty spots? Share your own experiences in the comments section below.