TODAY marks one year since a ‘major incident’ was declared in Bournemouth, after half a million people descended on the beach.

On June 25, 2020, the UK was in the midst of a heatwave which saw temperatures in the south reach more than 30C on numerous occasions. The chaos happened during an easing of lockdown restrictions and resulted in visitors from as far as Birmingham travelling to the coast.

BCP Council said that they had "no choice" but to "instigate an emergency response”, with Dorset Police reporting gridlocked roads, fights and overnight camping. Approximately 33 tonnes of waste was cleared up along the coastline and a council record of more than 1,000 parking fines were issued.

Cllr Vikki Slade, council leader at the time, said: "The irresponsible behaviour and actions of so many people is just shocking and our services are stretched to the absolute hilt trying to keep everyone safe.”

Bournemouth Echo:

One year later, Cllr Slade says: “I remember the day well. I had been fielding media and residents’ calls, emails and social media messages over the previous days and had been asked by opposition members and residents to use whatever powers the council had.

“The major incident decision itself was taken by the multi-agency team based on a number of factors including availability of NHS resources, services being overwhelmed, weather and visitor behaviour and was unprecedented. It was incredibly stressful.”

The incident, which made national headline news, forced Health Secretary Matt Hancock to warn residents that the beaches could be closed if social distancing guidelines were not adhered to. England's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, tweeted in response to the incident with a warning that infections would “rise again" unless people followed the rules.

Bournemouth Echo:

Extra police forces were drafted into the area and the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital confirmed they had declared a "major incident standby".

Cllr Slade said: “What we need to remember about that time is that cafes, hotels and restaurants were still closed. Millions were on furlough and there was nowhere else for people to go. We appealed to government to restrict travel to residents’ own counties or postcodes but were denied this.

“If I had my time again, I would have insisted that senior officers front the media interviews alongside me, so that they could demonstrate that the actions were not political – they absolutely weren’t. We were just trying to keep our staff safe, respond to our residents and get through the day.”

In the year since, BCP Council has run a multi-partner management control centre at Bournemouth seafront since April.

This 'resort management task force' manages:

  • Extra civil enforcement officers to issue penalty charge notices for those parking illegally
  • Additional tow away operations to deal with irresponsible parking
  • Expansion of the ranger team with more staff in place across the season to welcome back visitors, keep our beaches clean and safe, and provide a greater security presence
  • Enhanced security teams to patrol key town centre locations, car parks, beaches and open spaces
  • Extra waste bins in heavy footfall areas
  • Additional waste collection services along the seafront.

However, as previously reported by the Bournemouth Echo, parking regulations have come under scrutiny in the past few weeks.

A BCP spokesman said: “June 25, 2020, is a date that will live long with all of those involved. It has been a long and extremely busy 365 days and we have worked hard ever since to make sure our residents and visitors are as safe as possible. That work continues and we'd like to thank all our partners and to the public for playing their part.”