Police planning for post-lockdown Dorset beach influx

Thousands of people flocked to Bournemouth Beach in June after lockdown restrictions were eased

Plans are being developed to cope with a large influx of visitors to Dorset at Easter and in the summer, police have revealed.

The county's police and crime panel heard the authorities were "caught out" when the first lockdown was eased.

The summer saw gridlocked roads and anti-social behaviour around beaches and coastal attractions.

Dorset Police warned extra funding would be needed to deal with any similar influx this year.

A heatwave, combined with the easing of lockdown restrictions which allowed people to travel, brought thousands of visitors to the coast in 2020, culminating with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council declaring a major incident on 25 June.

There were reports of fights, security staff being attacked and illegal overnight camping.

Visitors also flocked to Durdle Door on the Lulworth Estate throughout the summer and there were several instances of swimmers getting into difficulties with no lifeguards present.

BCP councillor George Farquhar told the police and crime panel meeting: "There was a lot of pent up frustration and anger with people in any sort of authority, even with people wearing a yellow vest who empty the bins.

"We were massively caught out."

'Developing a plan'

The panel heard there were no low-loaders available last summer to take away illegally parked cars. There was also no means of sourcing extra bins or portable toilets, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Dorset Police warned at the time that sun seekers were putting "further strain on emergency services' resources".

Chief Constable James Vaughan said he was confident the county would be better prepared for a flood of holiday makers.

"We are developing a good plan. It's at the forefront of our minds for when we come out of lockdown," he said.

Mr Vaughan warned there was no extra budget to deal with the situation, although he had pressed the case for extra funding in a meeting with the home secretary.

Police and crime commissioner Martyn Underhill said he held meetings with Dorset Council over the issue of rough sleepers on Weymouth seafront during last summer which had caused "massive problems".

"My inbox was bristling with people complaining, but I don't think it will happen again," he said.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We are committed to supporting police throughout the pandemic and have given forces £30m to support extra enforcement.

"We are providing the policing system with up to £15.8bn next year, including up to £151.9m for Dorset Police - an increase of up to £7.7m on last year.

"On top of this, we're recruiting an extra 20,000 officers, 6,620 of whom are already in place."