Despite advice to stay away from the area, it was overrun with cars and sunbathers, causing traffic jams, illegal parking, and anti-social behavior. By Thursday morning, more than 40 tons of waste had been removed from the shoreline.
Council leader Vikki Slade said she was “absolutely horrified” by the scenes.
“The irresponsible behavior and actions of so many people are simply shocking and our services are stretched to the limit trying to keep everyone safe,” Slade said in the statement. “We have had no choice now but to declare a major incident and initiate an emergency response.”
A major incident has been declared in Bournemouth when crowds flock to the beach.
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The UK is slowly easing its coronavirus restrictions, and groups of up to six people can gather outside in England. However, the large number of sun worshipers caused major problems.
Illegally parked cars obstructed the roads, and the council issued 558 parking enforcement fines, a daily record.
Trash crews were also abused and intimidated in trying to remove mountains of trash from the boardwalk, according to the statement, and there have been a number of incidents related to heavy drinking and fighting.
In response there will be additional police patrols, security for trash crews, and more parking control.
Local officials implored visitors not to travel to the popular summer spot, as local services struggled to cope.
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Authorities also found people camping illegally overnight. They were evicted and, as a result, the waterfront rangers will conduct additional patrols.
Slade implored people not to visit the area and compared the scenes to a holiday.
“We are not in a position to welcome visitors in these numbers now or to deal with the full range of issues associated with managing volume of people like this,” Slade said. “PLEASE don’t come. We still can’t welcome you.”
Dorset Police Deputy Chief of Police Sam de Reya also asked people to stay away from the area, explaining that additional measures activated after declaring a major incident will only go very far.
Visitors enjoy the warm weather at the beach on Thursday in Bournemouth.
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“We also depend on people taking personal responsibility and we strongly recommend that members of the public think twice before heading to the area,” he said.
“Clearly, we are still in a public health crisis and such a significant volume of people heading to an area puts increased pressure on emergency services resources.”
Parts of the UK are preparing for yet another easing of the closure restrictions on July 4, but there have been other signs that members of the public are increasingly circumventing the rules.
Thursday night, at least 22 policemen were injured and emergency vehicles were damaged in London after a street party descended into violence.
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