A major incident has been declared after thousands of people defied advice to stay away and descended on beaches in Bournemouth on the hottest day of the year so far.
A multi-agency emergency response has been activated by BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) Council 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 24-48 hours.”
Services were described as having been left “completely overstretched” as visitors arrived in large volumes, with BCP Council issuing a record 558 parking enforcement fines.
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