Drunken Fights, Rammed Beaches, Mounds Of Litter... Whatever Happened To Lockdown Laws?

A major incident was declared yesterday after tens of thousands of sun-seekers defied lockdown laws to crowd on to beaches on the hottest day of the year so far.

- Mark Reynolds

Councils said they were appalled as drunken fights broke out, the roads were gridlocked for miles and tons of litter was left behind on the sands.

The two-meter social distancing rule, meant to be observed by groups of no more than six meeting outside in England, was ignored as day-trippers jostled for patches of beach.

The sea was also crammed with people cooling down as temperatures peaked at 92F (33.3C), recorded at Heathrow Airport and higher than Wednesday’s 90.7F (32.6C) at the same site.

Even as far north as Prestwick in Scotland, temperatures reached 86F (30C). But the heat led to tragedies across the UK, including a woman thought to have been in her 50s dying on Worthing beach, West Sussex, yesterday.

An air ambulance landed at the scene but she could not be saved after suffering “a medical episode”, police said.

Two other people, including a 10-year-old boy, died in separate drownings, officers said yesterday.