Increased reports of overnighting in camper vans says Dorset Police

With warm and sunny weather forecast for the weekend, the Chief Constable for Dorset, James Vaughan is reminding people that lockdown may have eased but it’s not over yet and overnight stays in camper vans, motorhomes and second homes are still not allowed.

He says that there are a lot of people visiting Dorset and he’s asking them to take responsibility for their actions and to do the right thing to avoid spreading the virus and reduce the impact on local communities.

Advertisement 

Chief Constable of Dorset, James Vaughan said:

“Despite the ongoing lockdown measures, we are experiencing a high volume of visitors to Dorset and this is in part due to the beautiful weather we are experiencing.

“However, what is apparent is that in some locations, social distancing cannot be adhered to because of the sheer number of people there. The message from Dorset Police and our partner agencies is that if an area looks too busy, please go home or elsewhere.

Dorset and BCP Council poster

Last weekend, Durdle Door near the small village of Lulworth in Dorset was overwhelmed with day trippers and the beach quickly became overcrowded.

There were also reports of people staying overnight in camper vans and a large group of people had to be prevented by Swanage Coastguard from camping overnight at Tilly Whim in Durlston. James Vaughan added:

“I’m also urging everyone to remember that overnight stays in campervans, motorhomes and second homes are not allowed. We are receiving increased reports of these breaches in Dorset and our officers will continue to patrol hotspot areas, engage with the people involved and encourage them to go home.”

Dorset Police says that between Friday 27th March and Wednesday 27th May 2020, it issued 882 fixed penalty notices to people who had allegedly breached the COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions. Although it says that very few fines have been issued over the last week, and the rise in numbers now is a result of the time lag in the fines being processed and recorded.

Share this story

Contact us

Do you have anything to add to this story?

We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch.

Advertisement 

Top stories

Swanage Railway scraps plans for regular rail service to Wareham Despite years of battling to reinstate a branch line service between Swanage and Wareham in Dorset, Swanage Railway has dashed any hope of running trains up to the mainline for ... 3 weeks ago Top comedians film at Purbeck’s Square and Compass pub 1 month ago Swanage to get seafront sauna and new beach cafe 3 weeks ago What’s on in Swanage: Festivals line-up for 2024 1 month ago New chapter in store for Corfe Castle village shop 3 weeks ago

Most recent

D-Day 80th anniversary to be marked by tank patrol at Studland An amphibious World War Two tank will once again roll onto the beaches of Studland Bay, 80 years after a major training exercise was held there to prepare for D-Day. 3 hours ago Swanage Railway ties up with boat and buses for Jurassic adventure 1 day ago Fire crews called to house fire in Swanage 2 days ago U-turn over learner driver teaching ban in Swanage car parks 2 days ago Refurbished Kimmeridge museum reopens with queues for star exhibit 3 days ago