Coronavirus: Visitors at Birling Gap as lockdown is eased

The Birling Gap car park was quickly filled on Saturday and a large number of vehicles lined the grass verges leading away from the site.

Eastbourne resident Jacqui Ridler said she was “shocked to see so many cars” at the site on Sunday.

Having lived in the town for 18 years, she revealed that she had “never seen that many in the area”.

She said: “The cars were parked on the left hand side green and they it went right down the road, it was crazy.

“I’m not saying that they weren’t social distancing because I couldn’t see the people, but knowing the area and one set of steps that go down to the beach makes you wonder if they were following government guidelines.

“Eastbourne has done so well with just a few cases of Covid-19, it would be such a shame at this stage for the second peak to be in all the towns around the coast.

“In my opinion it might be an idea for the local authorities to stop people parking on grass verges and on the grass at the side. If people could only use the car park then when that was full they would need to go find and somewhere else.”

This follows the easing of lockdown restrictions on Wednesday, with people now allowed to drive to outdoor spaces, beaches and beauty spots with members of their household for exercise or recreation.

Read more>>>A guide to the new lockdown restrictions

But long trips are still being discouraged by authorities amid concerns the partial lockdown lift could see an influx of visitors to the Sussex coast.

Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council has urged people to “be reasonable” when deciding to leave the house and to avoid long trips where possible.

Read more>>>'Social distancing not for police to enforce' says chief as lockdown is eased

Last month Sussex Police revealed that Birling Gap, along with other beauty spots in the county such as Hove seafront and Camber Sands, had been identified as a hotspot for people flouting social distancing rules.

The force also revealed that the “vast majority” of fines it had handed out during the first four weeks of the lockdown were to people travelling from outside Sussex to visit these areas.

Read more>>>'Vast majority' of lockdown fines issued to visitorsin Sussex

Deputy Chief Constable Jo Shiner said officers had encountered people from “up north and from London” who “wanted a breath of fresh sea air on Brighton’s beach”.

As a result, some local authorities have taken matters into their own hands to prevent an excessive number of people visiting tourist hotspots in their area.

Rother District Council reiterated last week that Camber Sands remained a no-go zone.

A spokesman said: “Do not visit Camber. Businesses are closed, the car parks are closed to visitors and there is no lifeguard service.

“High numbers of visitors at our beaches will make social distancing impossible and put our residents and visitors themselves at risk.”

• The coronavirus Sussex Crisis Fund has been set up to help those affected by the pandemic. The Argus’s charity and American Express have each donated £50,000 to kick-start the appeal. Grants will usually be for up to £5,000. More information is available at www.sussexgiving. org.uk/apply. To donate visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/sussexcrisisfund