Some visitors to Studland and the surrounding areas, chose to chance their luck to see if they could get away with flouting the government’s coronavirus advice to stay at home and not drive to the beach.
But Purbeck Police have today been turning them away, issuing warnings and have branded the actions of these motorists as irresponsible. In Lulworth, the police were handing out fines.
All the National Trust car parks in Studland are closed but some motorists decided to park along the nearby Ferry Road. Purbeck Police issued this warning on social media to those people:
“This is not being responsible and keeping to the spirit of the government’s instructions. Driving to beauty spots for exercise is not essential travel. Some members of the public have been given words of advice and sent on their way.
“If you were parked anywhere along Ferry Road today, your registration has been noted. If you are unsure of the current advice on travel restrictions visit the .gov website. Please stay at home and have consideration for others.”
Swanage Coastguard also said that despite asking people not to visit the coast, it was still getting reports of people climbing in the area. It said:
“The message is simple. Is your ‘exercise’ putting others at risk? What happens if something goes wrong?
“We can’t ask much more.
“Dorset Police are patrolling these areas and have already turned people around – don’t let it be YOU.”
Further afield at Lulworth this morning, Purbeck Police issued this statement:
“We have been on shift less than an hour and already stopped numerous vehicles from entering Lulworth. Their excuses for travelling, did not fit into the government guidelines and have therefore been issued with fines and sent back home.”
The resulting action was that Lulworth Cove was empty on a sunny Easter Saturday – a very rare event.
