People were urged to “think carefully” before visiting national parks and beaches on the first weekend since coronavirus lockdown measures were partially eased in England.
Police forces, tourist boards and park authorities across the country urged caution after the Met Office forecast sunny conditions.
Police stopped vehicles on the A23 between London and Brighton near Patcham (Yui Mok/PA)
Police talk to motorists near Brighton about the reason for their journeys (Yui Mok/PA)
It was not the usual welcome visitors receive to the resort (Yui Mok/PA)
Scenes on Brighton beach (Yui Mok/PA)
Luckily not everything was off-limits… (Yui Mok/PA)
Police talk to people on the sea front (Yui Mok/PA)
In the North East, St Mary’s Island in Whitley Bay was closed off to the public (Owen Humphreys/PA)
The message to tourists was clear (Owen Humphreys/PA)
But people were able to enjoy the beach at Whitley Bay (Owen Humphreys/PA)
There were similar scenes on Southsea beach in Hampshire (Ben Mitchell/PA)
Meanwhile, protesters against measures to tackle coronavirus descended on London’s Hyde Park (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Police kept a close eye on the protesters (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Officers on patrol in the park (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
People also visited Hyde Park to exercise and relax, in line with the new rules (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
