[Cherie]

un-seekers have been urged to stay away from the beach as thousands flocked to the Dorset coast and a major incident was declared in Bournemouth.

Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council said it was "stretched to the absolute hilt" on the second day of a UK heatwave.

Dorset Police said there were reports of gridlocked roads, fights and overnight camping.

People were urged to "act responsibly" as temperatures hit the mid-20s.

By mid-morning Bournemouth beach was busy "as far as the eye can see" and the Durdle Door car park was approaching capacity.

Traffic built up early on coast-bound roads and with people having travelled to Bournemouth from as far as Birmingham.

The council said declaring a major incident means a "multi-agency emergency response has now been activated to co-ordinate resources across the area to tackle the issues".

Council leader Vikki Slade said: "We are absolutely appalled at the scenes witnessed on our beaches, particularly at Bournemouth and Sandbanks, in the last 24 to 48 hours.

"The irresponsible behaviour and actions of so many people is just shocking and our services are stretched to the absolute hilt trying to keep everyone safe. We have had no choice now but to declare a major incident and initiate an emergency response."

The council confirmed it had issued a record 558 parking fines and said extra enforcement was now in place.

It said 33 tonnes of waste was cleaned up along the coastline on Thursday morning, in addition to eight tonnes collected between the piers on Wednesday.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-53176717

Embarrassing