Beaches could be closed altogether if they continue to become crowded and social distancing is not observed.
The Health Secretary warned yesterday that “we do have that power” after huge crowds gathered on beaches including Formby, largely ignoring social distancing, with police declaring a major incident in Bournemouth.
“I am reluctant to use it because people have had a pretty tough lockdown,” he told TalkRadio.
“We all want to be outside and enjoying the glorious sunshine but if you are heading out please do it safely and stick to social-distancing rules. We are making real progress in tackling this virus and we don’t want to undo everyone’s hard work.”
On Wednesday, Sefton Police introduced a 48-hour Section 34 Dispersal Zone following an increased visitor level to Formby Beach on the Sefton Coastline which they said resulted in “high levels of anti-social behaviour”.
The order will be in place until 2.30pm today (Friday 26 June).
Sefton Council has previously looked into the issue of closing beaches along the Sefton coastline, but decided against the idea because of the difficulty of enforcing any closure along such a large stretch of land.
The order in Formby comes under Section 34 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Act 2014, which gives police officers and police community support traffic officers powers to direct people they suspect are causing or likely to cause crime, nuisance or anti-social behaviour to members of the public to leave a designated area for up to 48 hours.
They said: “This is in response to recent reports of large gatherings in the Formby Beach area where members of the public are reported to not be adhering to social distancing measures as well as complaints regarding traffic congestion and parking offences.”
Inspector Graham Fisher said: “We’re aware of the significant impact that anti-social behaviour can have on individuals and communities, and we will be targeting people we suspect of being involved in this type of behaviour in the area.
Read More: Sefton Council responds to calls to shut beaches as they urge people to stay away
“To the vast majority of law-abiding members of the community, I just want to remind them that this order is not about bothering people going about their legitimate daily business.
“We would like to thank the vast majority of you who are adhering to social distancing measures and protecting the wider community as well as those who are continuing to keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour and reporting it to us.
“It has never been more important than now to ensure that we all follow government advice, in place specifically for the safety of those living in Merseyside.
“We welcome any information on people acting criminally and advise the public to get in touch either via @MerPolCC or @CrimestoppersUK should you wish to report something to us.”
Police added that on Wednesday night, “following community reports of a possible organised rave on Formby beach evening, we implemented a proactive operation to stop it taking place. “Anyone attending Sefton with equipment to be used for a rave will have it taken from them and may be prosecuted. Likewise, individuals seeking to attend such events will be stopped and dealt with for any offences they are committing.
“In total, a generator, DJ mixing deck and 20 speakers were seized as well as 5 individuals arrested and 15 dispersal notices issued. We are also aware of the disruption caused by large number of people attending Formby in their vehicle and parking illegally and as a result, 60 parking tickets were issued by Police.”
Placing Dispersal Zones in one area raised concerns that people could just be pushed elsewhere along the coastline.
Ainsdale councillor Lynne Thompson said: “Please be aware that the Police Dispersal Zone currently in place at Formby may push more visitors towards Ainsdale and Southport.”
The Met Office has issued Yellow Warnings for thunderstorms in the Southport area for today and Saturday.
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrown@gmail.com
