Fears of a stampede to the UK’s beauty spots as ten-day ‘African heat flare’ on the way
Staycation stampede to UK’s beauty spots: TWENTY MILLION Brits will holiday home this year – as a 10-day ‘African heat flare’ sweeps in later this week
- Tourists are expected to flock back to beaches across the UK as temperatures of up to 99F (37C) sweep in
- But the warm weather will come as blow to locals who can expect another huge influx of rowdy holidaymakers
- Beleaguered Cornish locals told over the weekend how county had transformed into ‘Benidorm on steroids’
- Drunken fight broke out in Brighton with the ‘full scale’ brawl spilling out of packed Music Hall bar by coast
Published: 06:25 EDT, 3 August 2020 | Updated: 05:15 EDT, 4 August 2020
Nearly 20million Britons plan to go on a staycation holiday in the UK this year, a poll found today amid fears over a fresh stampede of revellers to beauty spots as the country is set to be roasted by a ten-day heatwave.
Tourists are expected to flock back to beaches across the country as temperatures up to 99F (37C) sweep in from central Europe by the end of the week amid a level two heat warning – following 71F (22C) highs today.
A YouGov poll found 28 per cent of Britons plan to take a holiday in the UK this year – the equivalent of about 19million people – while only 9 per cent will go abroad and a further 49 per cent do not intend on holidaying.
And the warm weather will concern local authorities in areas such as Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Sussex which can expect another huge influx of holidaymakers as people in the UK shun foreign trips to go on staycations.
Beleaguered Cornish residents reported over the weekend how the popular county had turned into ‘Benidorm on steroids’ as floods of visitors left them too scared to leave their homes.
Meanwhile Thanet District Council in Kent begged people to avoid four of the area’s beaches – including the popular Margate’s Main Sands – due to the number of visitors.
And a drunken fight broke out on the seafront in Brighton on Saturday night as two women went toe-to-toe and others cheered and ignored social distancing.
It comes as Britain’s coronavirus infection rate continues to soar, with 744 people diagnosed with the virus yesterday – up from 771 yesterday and 880 on Friday.
Crowds of holidaymakers and sunseekers flock to the busy beach at the Dorset seaside resort of Lyme Regis this morning
A major ‘African heat flare’ is set to roast Britain in a ten-day heatwave sweeping across the country from the Continent over this week
Holidaymakers and daytrippers make the most of the summer sun as they enjoy a day at the beach in Lyme Regis this morning
The seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset is once again busy today as daytrippers soak up the sunshine and warm weather
The Sea Show performance at the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno near Lands End in Cornwall today
Tourists pack into the coastal town of Bray in County Wicklow in the Republic of Ireland today
Met Office forecaster Bonnie Diamond said: ‘There will be a warm spell across the UK but at the moment this hot weather will be focused in the south-east of England. At the minute and with high confidence, we are expecting 34C (93F) to 36C (97F) by Friday and Saturday.’
These high temperatures are the result of southerly winds moving from Europe and high pressure patterns that are set to kick in from around Thursday.
Ms Diamond said: ‘The pressure pattern is generally high, so in combination with the southerly winds and high pressure we get settled, sunny and hot weather.’
It is due to come after a ‘mixed start’ to the week. Sunny spells and generally settled weather can be enjoyed across southern areas, but heavy rain is on the way for Northern Ireland and Scotland tomorrow.
Ms Diamond added things then start to settle down from Wednesday with warm weather developing across the UK, ‘but it is going to turn hot across the South East, where temperatures are going to be well into the 30Cs.’s
These high temperatures could trigger some thunderstorms on Friday and Saturday. It comes after temperatures reached 100F (37.8C) in London at 2.41pm on Friday, making it the third hottest day ever recorded in the UK.
The highest ever UK temperature, 101.7F (38.7C), was recorded in Cambridge University Botanic Garden on July 25, 2019. The second hottest day ever was a recorded at 101.3F (38.5C) in Faversham, Kent, on August 10, 2003.
A YouGov poll found 28 per cent of Britons plan to take a holiday in the UK this year – the equivalent of about 19million people – while only 9 per cent will go abroad and a further 49 per cent do not intend on holidaying.
People jump into the water in the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire today
People enjoy making their way along the Long Walk in Windsor today as the warm weather continues for Britain
People feed the ducks in the River Thames while visiting Windsor today to make the most of the warm temperatures
A group of people go for a boat ride in Windsor today as the warm weather continues for much of the country
People enjoysitting in the park in Windsor today as parts of Britain enjoy more sunshine and warm temperatures
Over the weekend, street marshals were deployed in Cornwall as tourists poured down narrow streets and flouted social-distancing rules – despite clear warning signs in place.
Cornwall Council slammed the ‘ignorant’ visitors who descended on beauty spots without their face masks, as Britons elsewhere appeared to ignore social distancing rules while gathering at bars.
Pictured: Hero father who died after saving three of his children when they got caught in rip tide off Welsh beach as his ‘devastated’ partner pays tribute to him for ‘bringing our babies back’
A father-of-seven who died while rescuing three of his children when they got caught in a rip tide during a family trip to the seaside has been pictured.
Jonathan ‘Joff’ Stevens, 36, was with the youngsters aged ten to 12 at Barmouth in North Wales when they began to struggle in the water yesterday lunchtime.
The plasterer tried to pull the children to safety, and a major rescue operation was launched involving a lifeboat and Coastguard search and rescue helicopter.
Jonathan Stevens is pictured with his partner Laura Burford and four of their children – including Lacey (bottom right) and Jack (bottom centre), whom he rescued yesterday
Mr Stevens, from Telford, Shropshire, was then pulled from the water and flown to Gwynedd Hospital in Bangor in an air ambulance but died.
Today, his heartbroken partner Laura Burford, who was back home 80 miles away when the tragedy happened, said he had died a hero while ‘saving their babies’.
She said: ‘I am absolutely devastated to say that I have lost the complete love of my life. All seven of his beautiful kids have lost their dad.
‘He died saving his kids’ lives in the sea. There are no words to describe the pain. I will always be grateful to (him) for bringing our babies back. I love him, always have, and always will.’
Deputy leader Adam Paynter yesterday admitted there is fear in the coastal county for a rise in coronavirus cases as people travel to the region for their holidays.
Speaking out about holidaymakers flocking to the country, where yesterday a man in his 40s died after being pulled from the sea, he told LBC: ‘It is feeling quite busy, it’s difficult to know exactly where it is numbers-wise.
‘Many hotels and certainly bed-and-breakfasts either haven’t opened or are seeing less visitors but then our campsites and caravans are seeing a lot more people using those sites so it is feeling busy when you’re out in some of our towns.’
Councillor Paynter also criticised ‘ignorant’ tourists who refuse to wear face masks during their visit to the south-west.
He said: ‘Clearly we’ve still got a very low number of cases of coronavirus but obviously residents want to keep it that way.
‘I’ve heard two different incidents where people have been overheard saying: ‘Well, I’m not going to wear a mask. I came down here to get away from all of that.
‘I think that’s pretty ignorant thinking that coronavirus doesn’t exist down here. We did have 20 positive cases this week which was up 14 from the previous week.’
He added: ‘So it’s something that local residents are concerned about because they’ve been sensible, they’ve behaved.’
But locals in the county are among those preparing for another weekend of misery as the mercury looks set to rocket back up to at least 91F (33C).
The Met Office told of an ‘African heat flare’ coming in from Thursday until mid-August, bringing ‘drier, brighter and very warm’ weather towards the end of the week and ‘very hot conditions’ in the South East.
Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze, said: ‘August could rescue summer. He added: ‘Computer models suggest a very warm or hot period from Thursday, lasting for as long as mid-month. 35C is possible again.’
Senior forecaster at the Met Office Marco Petagna said: ‘On Monday we are looking at a mixture of sun and showers with most of them looking like they will be in central and eastern parts of England.
‘Any showers across Wales will dry away during the afternoon and we are looking at temperatures between 19 and 23C generally… the North of England should be slightly cooler.’
He said there would be outbreaks of rain across the North West on Tuesday – but that the South East should expect dry, sunny weather. Mr Petagna said the outlook for Wednesday would be similar, albeit a little breezier.
He said: ‘In the second half of the week the heat should build, especially on Friday and Saturday, and that we could see two, possibly three, days of hot weather.
Ex-BBC and Met Office forecaster John Hammond of weathertrending added: ‘The great news for millions on staycation is August looks kinder than summer so far.
‘Plenty of fine weather is further ahead, with more potential for heat than for much of summer so far.’
The Met Office’s long range forecast read: ‘For the following week, a fair amount of dry, bright warm weather looks likely for much of the UK with the possibility of some further very warm weather, especially in the South East.’
Friday was the third hottest day since records began in 1910 reaching temperatures of 37.8C (100F). Forecasters have warned of outbreaks of rain from today, particularly in the North West, until Wednesday.
Hot air balloons fly over South Bristol as part of a mass ascent today, with 43 balloon teams taking part this morning
Hot air balloons take off today as part of the socially distanced alternative to the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta 2020
Hot air balloons take off in a mass ascent from Bristol for a Fiesta Flypast over the city this morning
Hot air balloons form a heart shape as they prepare to take off in a mass ascent from Bristol this morning
Bookmakers Ladbrokes slashed odds on August being the hottest ever to 4-7 on. Spokesman Alex Apati said: ‘We’re going to melt this month.’
Man in his 40s dies after being pulled from the sea near beach in Cornwall
A man in his 40s died after being pulled from the sea near a beach in west Cornwall over the weekend.
Devon and Cornwall Police said it was contacted by the coastguard at 1.30pm on Saturday to reports a man had got into difficulty at Pedn Vounder Beach, near Porthcurno.
Members of the public and medical staff were unable to revive him, police said.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: ‘The next of kin have been informed and a file will be prepared for the coroner.’
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police on 101 and quote log 594 of August 1.
A drunken fight broke out in Brighton, with one ‘full scale’ brawl spilling out of the packed Music Hall bar on the seafront on Saturday night.
Security staff and passers-by jumped in to help break-up the women, who appeared to pull at each other’s hair as they tumbled to the ground near the seafront.
A witness said: ‘It was very warm and large numbers of people had been drinking all afternoon, totally ignoring social distancing measures.
‘Suddenly a minor disagreement erupted into a full-scale fight with the women trading blows. The fight then spilled over to another area with both women grappling and punching each other on the floor.’
The witness added: ‘Eventually the single security worker, who was not wearing a mask, managed to separate the pair.’
Sussex Police did not intervene to enforce the social distancing measures pubs and bars have been ordered to abide by.
The witness added: ‘I think the hot weather and drink is a recipe for disaster when it comes to the Government’s anti-Covid-19 policies.’
Although scenes were much more peaceful on the streets of Soho, London, photographs yesterday showed large groups gathering to drink outside pubs and bars.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth beach was typically busy as sunseekers flocked to top up their tans in the warm summer heat, as was Southend beach in Essex.
Thanet District Council in Kent begged people to avoid four of the area’s beaches, including Margate’s Main Sands, due to the number of visitors.
As temperatures hit 72F in Brighton this weekend, tempers boiled over when an argument between two women erupted into violence with bystanders cheering them on
Tourists are expected to flock back to beaches (pictured, Brighton on Friday) across the country as temperatures up to 91F (33C) sweep in from central Europe by the end of the week – following 71F (22C) today
Leader of the council Rick Everitt said: ‘Early on, it became clear that they were going to reach levels of which we were concerned about.’
Authorities are worried about keeping tourists safe in the water, as well as the potential spread of Covid-19 and maintaining social distancing. Mr Everitt said: ‘The RNLI only have a certain capacity.
RNLI rescues 14 friends from island after they were cut off by the tide
Fourteen people had to be rescued from an island off the Norfolk coast when the tide cut them off.
As the hot weather saw tourists flock to beaches, coastguards and the RNLI have seen a sharp increase in call-outs to assist those in trouble.
After being paged by Humber Coastguard, Hunstanton RNLI and Hunstanton Coast Guard Rescue Team were called to Brancaster to save 14 trippers who had become stranded on Scolt Head Island.
The party had walked to the island quarter of a mile out at low tide but did not realise their way back was under water.
Hunstanton Coastguard said ‘Once on scene, the team made sure all casualties did not attempt to cross the channel.
‘Hunstanton Lifeboat made four trips across the channel with casualties. Words of advice given to all involved.’
‘They’re on seven Thanet beaches this summer, which is slightly fewer than usual, and they’re doing a great job where they are but they don’t have unlimited resources to deal with people in the water.’
The councillor added: ‘If you have too many people on the beach, it just becomes unmanageable from that point of view.’
Britons are scrambling for staycation spots with campsites, B&Bs and holiday cottages booking up fast as tens of thousands of foreign stays were put on hold amid fears over a second wave of coronavirus.
Not a single pitch, campervan space or lodge at any of the top 20 campsites in Cornwall or top 15 in Dorset are available for a week’s stay for two adults, as lockdown-weary holidaymakers flock to the areas to enjoy a summer break.
Parks and campsites across Britain have seen a boom in bookings recently, with Haven, Butlin’s, Center Parcs and Hoseasons being inundated – and cottage bookings swept up.
Those looking for sun-soaked day trips have started taking advantage of the country’s beauty spots already, with huge crowds flocking to seaside spots in Cornwall and Devon on Thursday – leaving car parks jam-packed.
Some opted for a day out at Westgate Gardens in Canterbury while others enjoyed a trip to the seaside in Brighton.
MailOnline surveyed the 20 best campsites in Cornwall according to campsites.co.uk and found the likes of Little Trevothan Camping & Caravan Park in Helston and Polruan Holidays in Fowey are full until the end of August.
Others such as Trethem Mill Touring Park in Truro are fully booked until the end of September – but are having to run at reduced capacity of about 50 per cent to ensure they follow social distancing requirements.
Further sites in the likes of Newquay, St Austell, Par, Looe, St Columb Major, Padstow, Whitecross, Mevagissey, Redruth, Bude, Perranporth, Camelford, Marazion and Bude are also fully booked for at least the next week.
In Dorset, there was limited availability for next week at two of the 15 sites, in Owermoigne and Wareham. But the rest are booked up until at least August 16, with three in the county not taking bookings until September.
Teenager, 18, dies while swimming at beauty spot
An 18-year-old man died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a river on the UK’s hottest day of the year, rescue services said.
Emergency services were called to Linton Falls, on the River Wharfe, near Grassington, North Yorkshire, at around 7.44pm on Friday.
Rescue teams attempted to resuscitate the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene, the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association (UWFRA) said.
A spokesman for the UWFRA said: ‘The team were called to an 18-year-old male in difficulty whilst swimming in the River Wharfe at Linton Falls. North Yorkshire Police, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were all on scene.
‘The team co-ordinated the rescue with the fire service. CPR was administered by the rescue services but unfortunately the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this incident.’
The spokesman said 14 team members attended the two-and-a-half-hour rescue attempt.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said three crews, from Grassington, Skipton and Lofthouse, and a water rescue team from Ripon were called to a report of a man in the water.
Martyn Hughes, a watch manager with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, tweeted: ‘Despite frantic efforts by many, we were unable to save the young man. Thoughts very much with family and friends. Sadly another water-related death at one of our natural beauty spots.’
And Grassington Fire Station wrote: ‘The falls and river at Grassington through to Linton and Burnsall is beautiful, it can be tempting on hot days to take a dip, but please beware of the hidden dangers in moving cold water.’
Those hoping for a last-minute stay in a holiday hotspot last weekend found campsites for £150 a night or £200 a night for three-star hotels as demand soared.
One four-star hotel on the beach in Newquay, Cornwall, came in at nearly £350 a night, while a one-bedroom cottage in the Cotswolds will set you back £280 a night.
But some people are steering away from popular holiday destinations as the coronavirus infection rates appears to be on the rise again.
A further eight people who tested positive for Covid-19 died in Britain yesterday while 744 people were diagnosed with the bug.
The total number of confirmed deaths in hospitals, care homes and the wider community during the pandemic hit 46,201 following the rise. Figures released on Sunday are lower due to a delay in processing over the weekend.
The cases recorded yesterday – as well as a further 771 yesterday and 880 on Friday – took the country’s total to 304,695.
Five people who tested positive for coronavirus died in England, with patients aged between 52 and 86 and with known underlying health conditions.
Two of the patients died in the Midlands, one in the north east and Yorkshire, one in the North West and one in the south west. Wales reported a further three coronavirus deaths in care homes and hospitals and 37 more cases.
Scotland reported no new deaths – although it points out that register offices are now generally closed at weekends. A total of 31 people tested positive for the bug.
Northern Ireland stopped reporting its data on the virus at weekends so the daily figures for positive cases are for Britain only.
It comes as an exclusive poll for MailOnline revealed yesterday a quarter of Britons are planning to alter their holiday plans in the wake of the decision to re-impose quarantine restrictions on Spain.
Some 25 per cent said they were considering changes and more than a third said they were now less likely to book a foreign holiday at all amid fears other popular destinations could follow in having restrictions put in place.
But the poll, conducted by Redfield and Wilton Strategies, also found more than two in five people backed how the Government handled last Saturday’s announcement which came with just five hours’ notice.
The worries come as the government discusses whether lockdown restrictions were eased too early. One of the government’s top scientific advisers warned ‘further interventions’ could be needed to get pupils back in classes next month – suggesting ministers decide between pubs or schools.
