Furious family turned away from packed beach after 6-HOUR drive as thousands hit seaside & heatwave to last another week
A FURIOUS family was turned away from a packed beach after driving for six hours – as thousands hit the seaside for another week of scorching temperatures.
A dad drove his four kids from Birmingham to Durdle Door in Dorset on Sunday, only to be told the beach was full and roads were closed.
Officers told the family the beach was too busy before sending them on their six-and-a-half hour drive back home.
It came as beachgoers packed onto coastal roads, with police turning back drivers who joined two-mile queues at Camber Sands in East Sussex, Bournemouth and Lulworth in Dorset.
Social distancing was all but forgotten in coastal hot spots like Brighton and cops in Blackpool reported the resort’s beaches being extra busy too.
The Met Office has said the heatwave is the most prolonged period of hot August weather for 17 years, with scorching temperatures set to last well into the week.
Highs of 31C can be expected in the south east on Monday while Friday will still be warm at 25C.
Forecasters have said however that severe thunderstorms could interrupt the bright spell from Monday to Thursday, issuing yellow warnings for the entire country.
Spokesman Dan Harris said some places could face flooding with up to 80mm (3ins) of rain in just a few hours.
He said: “All the ingredients are there, but it’s just too early to pinpoint exactly where and when thunderstorms will occur.”
Saturday saw coastguards across the UK receive the highest number of call-outs in a single day for well over four years. In total, the service rescued 146 people and assisted a further 371.
On Saturday, Bournemouth council closed 20 of the resort’s 24 beaches over fears visitors, who created 15-mile tailbacks on roads in the area as they rushed to the coast, couldn’t safely socially distance.
Council officials said: “Our advice to visitors would be to avoid these areas, turn away and come back another day when it less busy.’’
Firefighters also fear blazes could break out during the hot dry weather, with officials asking visitors not to have fires in the open.
Weatherman John Hammond, of Weathertrending, told Sun Online: “Unlike last week’s ‘one-day wonder’, this heat is going to hit and hold for the best part of a week in some places.
“Some southern areas will be sitting near 30C for several days in a row, with some uncomfortably warm nights too.”
Most read in UK News
Friday was the hottest August day for 17 years, with the highest temperature recorded at 38.5C at Faversham in Kent on August 10, 2003.
Meanwhile, people living in Devon and Cornwall were “furious” after thousands of tourists flocked to seaside towns.
Locals and business owners said Salcombe, known as “Chelsea-on-Sea”, is heaving and busier than ever before.