Most visitors stay away from Skegness area - but 'madness' further up the coast

Around the country thousands headed to beaches and parks after government Covid-19 restrictions were eased to allow travel.

However the 'Coast is Closed' appeal by East Lindsey District Council - who kept their car parks and toilets shut - appeared to hit home.

Families heading to the beach in Skegness on Saturday were mostly locals, said Coun Danny Brookes, who opened his kiosks on the seafront.

"After the Prime Minister said people can visit beaches as many times as they like we decided the country deserved a treat and there is none finer than a Skegness made ice-cream," he said.

"We made sure social distancing guidelines were all in place to protect our wonderful customers and staff.

"We also had a member of staff to manage our queue. We saw more local families than tourists and that's great because local residents deserve a treat too.

"It's small steps but we have to move forward or we will stagnate as a country.

"Follow government guidelines and stay alert."

The only large groups arriving in town seemed to be bikers, who abandoned their machines near the Clock Tower and were seen tucking into fish and chips near the roundabout.

Families heading towards the beach were greeted with a cool breeze and few lingered on the sand.

High Street, supermarket car parks and residential streets also seemed no busier than you would expect on a Saturday - and the picture was similar on Sunday.

However, further up the coast, where Lincolnshire County Council opened its car parks the picture was different, according to Anderby Creek Councillor Graham Fisher.

"It was madness," said Coun Fisher. "We have two car parks at Anderby Creek - one that takes 22 cars and another over 50 - and we had to lift the barrier on the second one as people were parking on double yellow lines and on grass verges.

"The barrier to the Cloud Bar where there is seating was removed and rubbish - including beer bottles - were left on the beach. All of our bins are full.

"We also had reports of people urinating behind the toilets, which were closed.

"I've been told social distancing on the beach didn't exist.

"We are particularly worried about Wednesday when temperatures are due to be 25C.

"We are a small hamlet with just 70 people - mostly vulnerable - and more that twice that number were here at the weekend. People are very worried."

Coun Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council said: "It's truly disappointing to hear that some visitors to the coast this weekend parked illegally and left litter on our beautiful beaches. We've also had complaints from a number of residents in Skegness that visitors even parked across their drives over the weekend.

""Similar to North East Lincolnshire, who opened some of their car parks in Cleethorpes , we reopened ours in the coastal country parks to minimise the disruption to residents by people parking on the street. It's clear that leaving these car parks closed would have made the problem worse.

"However, I want to make it clear that the easing of lockdown restrictions is not an invitation for everyone to flock to the coast. Shops, cafes, toilets and other facilities are all closed. Please continue to enjoy the outdoors near where you live, and we look forward to welcoming you back to the Lincolnshire coast when the time is right."