Statement from the Leader of Dorset Council, Cllr Spencer Flower:
Over the weekend we have seen some extremely disappointing behaviour from visitors to Dorset’s beaches. I am acutely aware of how worried and upset many Dorset residents feel about the current situation, particularly when so many of them complied fully with lockdown guidance and when the Dorset Council area had one of the lowest COVID19 infection rates in the country.
The incidents at Durdle Door on Saturday placed a huge strain on our emergency services. There have also been issues in other areas over the weekend with excessive numbers of visitors and people therefore not able to observe social distancing. We’ve seen littering, people urinating and defecating in public, people camping overnight (which is not permitted under current government COVID19 guidelines) and people having dangerous campfires and BBQs – despite extensive warnings against this from all local agencies. Council employees have been abused by the members of the public as they tried to manage the traffic.
My overriding priority throughout the COVID19 outbreak has been the safety and wellbeing of Dorset residents and all decision making has been based on this. We at Dorset Council have done everything we can within the limited powers we have to prepare for and respond to the situation. For several weeks now we’ve been sending out a strong message that potential visitors should ‘think twice’ about coming to Dorset. This ‘Think Twice’ message has been used widely across the country. We’ve managed the opening of car parks and public toilets very carefully in order to cope with demand and manage safety issues, without inadvertently giving out a signal that Dorset is ‘open for business’.
However, since the government announced on Sunday 10 May that lockdown was to be gradually eased and that people can “travel to outdoor open space irrespective of distance”, both we and Dorset Police have had very limited powers of enforcement. For example, since the recent guidance came into effect, the Police are no longer been able to challenge road users as to whether their journeys are essential.
All public services are very stretched due to weeks of responding to the COVID19 outbreak and other major incidents such as the wildfire at Wareham Forest.
Today I have written to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and to all Dorset MPs on this issue. My plea to the government is to review the unrestricted travel guidelines currently in place and require people instead to “stay local”. The current guidelines have a disproportionately negative effect on areas like ours which are popular with visitors but do not have the infrastructure to cope right now. I am worried that we will see a second wave of infection here in Dorset as a result of the high number of visitors to the area over recent days. I’m asking the government to act now to save the lives of Dorset residents. Please help us to help them by issuing revised guidance telling people to stay local for the time being
The blame must be firmly put on the Government and their ill thought lock down strategy. Never before have healthy people been put under ‘House Arrest’.
Sweden had a much more sensible approach, and it has proven to be very successful.
With the record breaking good weather we have experienced, what would you expect people to do when every day is a summer bank holiday.
As for the tombstoners, I think we all think the same way.
I would expect people to respect the area and behave properly. Dumping their rubbish and bbqs everywhere in a trail of destruction, setting fires and apparently urinating and defacating in public. I don’t think I expect that to happen, no.
I find this unbelievable that the Government can allow this to happen at the same time as Track & Trace as they want to moniter deaths by area. Maybe because Dorset is one of the lowest death rates in the country they now want to spread it out. I would not be surprised if that happens. Lets hope not.
We have all been isolated the same as everybody else and we still are so when will the Dorset residents be able to visit the beaches?
Absolutely there should be a mile radius or stay within your own county
I’ve written to Richard Drax asking the same thing
It’s making us afraid to go to a public place
Studland today was packed
litter every where including a dirty nappy left on the beach
We didn’t stay long
Well done Cllr. Flower!
This county, and others, need protection from further virus spread, damage to wildlife, litter and human waste. The visitors are risking their own lives and ours. It is a pandemic – not a holiday. The campsites are closed, the rules are clear – and yet, Dorset is overwhelmed with vans camped in industrial estates, back streets and lay-bys. The police and the council cannot enforce everything alone without stricter legislation and support. The time is now for the Government to stop a second wave so that everyone can safely and gradually get back to enjoying this country.
I also think that people should be advised to stay local . Stay in your own area do not put your self and others at risk . In time we will be able to return to normal you must apply patience.
We have shielded family members to keep them safe , we have obeyed all the requests to stay home, stay safe. Please let us stay safe by stopping the inrush of people so desperate to get to the seaside that they have lost all sense and responsibility.
Stay safe…stay local!
Thank goodness for the common sense of Dorset Council. I was astonished when the Government announced the lifting of driving distance restrictions. It struck me as highly irresponsible and should have been limited to, say, a 10 mile radius of home. I can understand the need for people to get out if they are not fortunate enough to have their own outdoor space but surely staying safe and disease free is more important. I very much hope that your letter to the PM will be heeded and a revision is announced.
Perhaps if the Dorset people en masses signed this, or another letter, the powers that be have, in law, to pay attention.
There are many vulnerable people who are, today, going back into self-isolation, because they are more afraid now than at the beginning of the outbreak.
Local councils should have been involved from the beginning, and give the resources with which to develop their residents’ safety and well-being. Now, very few will pay attention to the politicians, and the police have lost their authority.
Let the people of Dorset be heard.
well done for writing to the PM. the people of Dorset do not wont all these people from out of area travelling here, as you say we have one of the lowest covid19 infections in the country and we would like to keep it this way.
I hope the PM will take notice and do something about this.
Thank you
I suffer from severe hayfever and regularly get up early for a walk by the sea at Durley Chine, at 7.00am in the morning there are very few people around but on Sunday there were camper vans and vehicles setting up barbecues for breakfast, not just couples but I counted 11 people in burkas and not speaking english, one person was squatting down at the bottom of the steps having a poo! If a dog walkers dog did that they would pick it up, the visitors obviously don’t care and the rubbish that is strewn all over the area, their are no facilities open to accommodate these visitors!.If Dorset Council allow these third world people to come to the beach, at least be ready for it otherwise there could be other medical problems let alone the coved 19!!!
The recent behaviour of people visiting Dorset is unbelievable.
The incidents at Tilly Whim Caves and Durdle Door put lives of others at risk; also unacceptable strain on emergency services and the NHS.
The influx must be stopped.
Thank you for expressing the views of Dorset residents so clearly. My husband and I have been in age related isolation since March. Our daughters and teenage grandchildren have helped with shopping and collecting prescriptions for us to help us to stay safe. With the gradual release we were looking forward to being able to meet outdoors with our family members. We share the concern about visitors from outside Dorset increasing the risk of a second wave of the virus. After my 43 year career in nursing I retired and have since carried out various public service roles including being an Independent Member of Dorset Police Authority and have kniwledge if how difficult policing Dorset is. Since March I’ve continued voluntary roles and other group membership through virtual group meetings on my computer. I hope the Government support the need to keep Dorset safe.
The DCC should simply close access Roads
to our wonderful beauty spots until it is safe to receive visitors from outside the county.
Surely this can be done under an emergency
closure order due to the immediate threat of public health.
These closure points to be manned and local residents given permits to access their property.
well said people I have spoken to feel the same. O have always said that Boris made a big mistake on letting people travel wherever they like. A 10 nile radius of their home should be the limit.
Why do Dorset folk have to put up with this wave of people, invading our county and possibly boosting the level of corona virus for us. This is not necessary and not acceptable, big mistake lifting the travel lock down.
I totally agree. I am coming to the end of 12 weeks’ isolation and if there is a second wave of the virus caused by these selfish people I and many like me will have to isolate all over again. Maybe the army should be brought in to deal with this problem or please close all Dorset’s beaches once again.
I have also written to Dorset MP Richard Drax requesting a “Travel Locally” mandate. Everyone that I know has fully complied with the lockdown guidelines to date ,often at considerable personal or emotional cost. Dorset has a one of the lowest Covid-19 infection rates in the country due to its rural nature and the fact that the population is thinly distributed ~ relatively speaking. Boris Johnson’s slogan of “Stay Alert” has become a meaningless sound-bite. In these challenging times one would hope for clear and unequivocal decisions ; one of the clearest for the community and the police would be to impose a travel radius of 10 or even 20 miles limit for leisure purposes from one’s principle place of residence. With regards the “overnighters” , if people are going to flout the guidelines, if they have a self-contained unit then at least they could use one of the many professionally well-run camp-sites that we are blessed with in Dorset where they could empty their waste in a safe environment without having recourse to public amenities. Local people and local police are well aware of the overnight “hot spots” and rather than making it a recommendation or guideline not to stay overnight in lay-bys, car-parks, shore-lines or open moorland it should become law with appropriate actions and sanctions being available to our excellent Dorset police force.
I am Dorset born and breed and very proud of the way we have handled the corona virus, and now the government has lifted some of the lockdowns, they have given the whole of Britain the right to travel anywhere they want. They come to Dorset and trash our countryside, litter our beaches , put all of our services under pressure, even with the great work the fire service have done and are still doing at Wareham forest, we don’t want people to ruin our county anymore , so put a distance on how far people can travel, or stay in their own area.
I am so glad you have made the Prime Minister aware of this problem. There should have been a restriction in the distance people can travel. I appreciate the last few weeks have been difficult if you do not have a garden but surely there are plenty of parks and beaches in most areas without having to travel for hours to get to Dorset.
The economy is real and has to start now. I know that there is a chance of the coronavirus returning but also there is a chance it will not .Open all the toilets put more bins,easier to empty bins better than picking it all up.I know the idle lazy who it seems will not walk to bin
We opened toilets in particular hot spots with extra cleaning routines. But there are places that have never had toilets near the beach. We have continued to maintain our bin collections throughout the pandemic.
Regardless of the rest of it, perhaps people wouldn’t be urinating and defecating in public if councils hadn’t been so eager to sell off public toilets without replacing them.
For God’s sake, how can you justify that comment. If people are that filthy they shouldn’t be coming anywhere near beauty spots. I utterly condemn their behaviour.
Thank you for doing this. The government should never have said that people could travel as far as they liked. Very irresponsible, with no thought of the consequences. The weekend saw utter madness as a result and I cannot go out with my asthmatic daughter to the spaces where I live, because so many are not social distancing. I hope the government listens and responds.
I whole heartedly. Agree with the Dorset Councils views.
Everyone should have to stay in their postcode area. I live next to Branksome beach and there has been so many visitors. I understand that people want to go to the beach in hot weather and not everyone has a garden. I live in a flat and don’t have a garden but we can’t cope with the influx when the hospitality industry isn’t open.
I have already sent an email to M.Tomlinson M.P. after the events at the Dorset beaches over the bank holiday weekend.
My suggestion was that people only travel in the county where they reside.
I have had a letter back.
As over 70’s and Dorset residants we are disgusted with everything that has happened here over the last few days. We live 200 yards from Avon beach in Christchurch and nothing would be nicer for us than to go to the beach and enjoy our beautiful area , but we havent. We value our lives and are so upset at the people losing there lives to the virus. The government has made a huge mistake allowing people to travel as far as they want within the country. As is the nature of folk, give them an inch and they take a mile literally. Look at Spain everyone is respecting the giidelines. We have owners of holiday homes in our road where people have been staying for weeks, completely ignoring the rules. Sadly in every respect now we have no policing in this country so people do exactly as they want. The government MUST bring in a 10 mile limit from home.
Following this demonstration of what can only be described in reasonable terms as irresponsible behaviour, I am even more concerned about disease transmission due to this type of activity. Inevitably there is a real possibility that Dorset will see an increase in cases within the resident population due to the migration of leisure seekers from areas which have had higher infection rates. It is completely unacceptable for the Council & support services to have to endure unnecessary pressure from selfish visitors. Mr Johnson needs to get a grip before the situation gets worse.
Totally agree.
Why not do what West Wittering are doing and only allow people to come down if they have already bought a car park ticket online. Make sure it is a requirement to have names and addresses, so you have contact details.
Also put bollards on the roads near beaches so they are no parking zones.
You could position some police officers at strategic points like at the top of the A338 to see if they have a ticket.
You could issue local BH addresses with parking permits.
Also issue local people with permits to go to the New Forest and have the police checking at strategic points.
I know it is so hard to manage and we are very worried Dorset will be a hotspot with a second wave of the infection if things continue as they are.
Totally agree, there needs to be limit on how far people can travel for now. The scenes on the Dorset coast this weekend show that some people are not being alert or following social distancing rules, putting local people at risk. Not to mention over stretching emergency services in a time if crisis. Maybe it would be sensible to restrict unessessry travel to a 20 mile radius of individuals homes.
I totally agree. We should all stay within our respective counties for the time being. Car parks, beaches etc closed to people of other counties unless proof of necessity being produced. Roadsides near these places illegal to park. A simple notice would suffice. And as for parking on verges, surely this is trespass.
In regard to durdle door,lulworth cove I feel that lulworth estates should be made to do something to prevent the levels of visitors. I understand they own and run both beaches and even though the police closed the road they allowed people to park and access the beaches on Sunday. It’s all well and good blaming the government but they need to be reasonable aswell
In these trouble times with the virus I think that we should closed Dorset to visitors, people are being so stupid and give no thought for the local people. Those who have caused the emergency staff to come to their aid should be made to pay the costs. The last few days sheer stupidity of the public could cause another rise in the Coronavirus and more lives lost
It is actually unbelievable that this Government allowed thousands of people to travel to Dorset (Against scientific advise). Most locals were forced to stay at home because of the numbers of visitors. The Government has made a complete mess of this crisis and if they worked for a Company each and every member of the cabinet would have been sacked for incompetence. Come on Boris stop hiding behind weak cabinet members and take control !!
Let’s hope. No one needs to drive more than about 10 miles to find a place to exercise. We are going to end up with another huge spike. If the counties that are pretty clear stay clear surely that’s going to help long term. Stay home simple !!! Or we are all going to suffer even more !!!
I completely agree with the statements made. How is it that this government has always been behind with their actions regarding keeping people safe – they are a disgrace. Dorset and other coastal areas and places of natural beauty are a target for irresponsible people (like Cummings). The instruction should have been that people should stay within a 20 mile radius of where they live and that does not include holiday homes or campsites. We are dangerously close to a second peak in the pandemic and it will be places like Dorset and Dorset people that will suffer the stupidity of Corvidiots.
Please, please, please will the public stay out of Dorset until Coronavirus’s R number is lower than it is.
We have all suffered during the lockdown especially those that have been screening due to underlying health conditions.
The government is rushing into removing lockdown, which I suggest is more for the economy than our health.
How can we trust what is happening when we went into lockdown with similar details that are now present.
Dorset has a high population of older people and are more vulnerable if a second peak arrives.
I know that a lot of people love Dorset but please could you stay away until the test and tracking system is widely used and the R Number is reduced nearer to zero rather than where it is hovering between 0.7 and 0.9.
At the moment there is no room to manoeuvre and a second peak is widely suggested by many scientists, the NHS and quite a few of Organisations such as Diabetes UK.
Please help us and when the virus is under control we would welcome visitors with open arms.
This would seem to be a reasonable request and a sensible way of easing lockdown We’ll said Sir
I have followed lockdown meticulously and am appalled at the lack of respect being shown to people who have followed it by people who don’t care for others by their selfish attitude.
To dedicate countryside and leave litter sums them up They are using Dorset as a toilet thus spreading disease and destroying beauty spots
This is unacceptable in normal circumstances but definitely in current circumstances
Shut the roads to outsiders You can shut motorways for accidents with two police cars
Do something to protect those who follow guidelines
I agree in fact I think there should be a petition to stop this madness. It is totally unfair for people to travel hundreds of miles and locals be told to stay away. I wrote to Boris Johnson as soon as they announced people could travel to beauty spots and said it should be limited to 20 miles max, no surprise no reply
It is not only Dorset’s beaches which have been invaded by the mindless travelling hordes. The countryside has also been blighted with groups of visitors.
Whilst it is understandable that people (especially those living in small flats in urban area ) wish to enjoy the benefits of fresh country air or the seaside, their behaviours, regrettably, do little to endear them to locals.
We’ve been beset in the countryside by large groups wandering around, ignoring social distancing rules and precautionary health measures. It’s definitely important to curb these invasions.
An excellent letter Sir but you must realise that the only reason the restrictions were lifted in such haste and without planning or consultation was to take Mr Cummings of the front pages as quickly as possible. Someone is going to have a lot to answer for one day.
Why not raise it as a question in the daily Downing Street briefing? Or, better still, get one of the TV companies to do that – it’s a controversial subject that the media will love.
Excellent and very necessary response.
It was perhaps sadly inevitable that people would abuse the new freedoms.
How does this stay local message affect caravan site bookings from their opening from July are people who are currently booked onto socially distancing registered sites like Caravan Club and Caravan and Camping Club sites going to be welcome in your county or not? Please respond.
Absolutly dont want people I care about put in danger. The government does not gove CLEAR guidelines perhaps he should go on a plain English essy read course. He is a blundering idiot
It was complete madness on the governments part not to have stipulated a distance allowed to for travel for exercise or leisure activities having complied with the rules with regard shutdown its been good to know that we had a low infection rate in Dorset, I do also appreciate we need to get the economy going again, keeping people within their own area will still do that I hope the government’s listens and acts on this point
I totally agree with your letter. Selfish people like those travelling to the beach etc. Will be the first to complain when they have to go back into full lockdown…it will happen if people continue to be selfish. I am Dorset born, and live about 25miles from Weymouth and would love to see the sea and smell the air but I’m scared that an outsider will be there and have covid 19. People should stay in their own county.
Maybe a painfully hefty Visitors Car Park ticket, at this time, would deter people from driving miles to our Dorset beaches? I live in Sherborne and long to return to enjoy a day by ‘my local sea’ but not as a witness to the disgraceful and degrading behaviour of the minority of the hoards of infiltrators who flout the rules. Those who choose to jump off cliffs into the sea should pay for their risky actions and not expect to be be rescued free by our gallant emergency service! And perhaps a toll gate or two would help towards the protection and upkeep of our wonderful county!
Would it be useful to join forces with BCP council in approaching the Government? In Bournemouth we are also experiencing a huge influx of visitors, illegal overnight camping, BBQs in prohibited places ( eg Hengistbury Head). Emergency services are pan-Dorset so wouldn’t it be more supportive to them for both councils to be joining together, reporting back difficulties to their MPs and Government and requesting the ‘stay local’ message to be re-introduced
I think people should be told they can go out but they must stay in their own county
I think the letter to the Prime Minister is an excellent & much needed response, & I fully support the council in this.