Anger and frustration has been shared by residents and Weston-super-Mare's tourism board as visitors flocked to the "incredibly busy" seaside town today (Wednesday, May 20).
The relaxation of coronavirus lockdown measures has allowed people in England to sit in parks, sunbathe on beaches and exercise outside as much as they want - as long as they adhere to social distancing measures.
People are also allowed to travel without restriction in England to visit beauty spots and beaches as long as they return to their main residence at night.
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But for seaside towns such as Weston-super-Mare, it has led to fears that the town could see a deluge of visitors from across the UK and spark a rise in numbers in the area.
Don't Visit Weston, the town's temporarily renamed tourism board, shared on Facebook its concerns about the beach as cars "parked illegally all over the town and seafront" today.
A spokeswoman described the scenes as "lunacy" and encouraged residents to share photos of what they have seen around the seafront and town.
Photos shared by residents show dozens of people on the beach, people swimming and walking in the water and cyclists on the seafront.
Clifton Road, which has been closed during the coronavirus pandemic in a bid to discourage visitors to the seafront, saw vehicles bypass the closed sign and illegally parked on double yellow lines.
A spokeswoman for Don't Visit Weston explained that numerous businesses remain closed and attractions such as the Grand Pier and Sky Wheel are also shut.
She hopes that despite the new lockdown rules and warm weather, tourists should stay away from Weston-super-Mare to protect its residents.
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She said: "We understand it's a difficult set of circumstances for potential visitors to navigate, and with the weather being as glorious as it is, it's very tempting to want to come and enjoy our fresh air and escape from home.
"However, the feeling from us, as residents, and the message from North Somerset Council is still very much, don't visit Weston - at least not yet.
"The few facilities that have been reopened were for the benefit of Weston residents living inland, that prior to the lessening of restrictions wouldn't have had the opportunity to visit our beaches.
"They have not been reopened as a way to encourage visitors from outside of the area."
Facebook community groups in the area have also reported a surge in membership requests from people outside of Weston-super-Mare, from as far as Birmingham and Tamworth.
The tourism board was left shocked by the "busy" scenes around the town, fearing that residents could be at risk of coronavirus.
It comes as people from as far as Birmingham and Sheffield have enquired about taking day trips to Weston-super-Mare.
She added: "We understand that our beach is a vast area, where technically social distancing should be easy to achieve, however the number of cars on the streets, parking illegally and overcrowding our residential streets, puts locals at risk.
"I have received dozens on phone calls since the weekend asking about the lifting of restrictions and what sort of facilities are open in Weston, and they have been from Birmingham, Gloucestershire and one even as far as Sheffield all wanting to take day trips here.
"We understand that we can't ask people not to come, what we're asking is that they are considerate and postpone their trip until we're ready for them.
"Enjoy Weston at its best, not yet."
One concerned resident felt social distancing was not properly observed and cancelled her daily lunchtime walk.
She said: "I was going for my daily lunchtime walk, the same route I have been on everyday for the past few weeks.
"10 minutes in I ended up just turning around and going home.
"I didn't feel safe being outside with the amount of people about. I completely understand people are allowed to exercise but this was going beyond that."
