East Lothian council have issued a statement reminding people of the current Scottish Government rules to 'avoid busy areas' during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, after the area's beaches were packed to the brim with sunseekers on Friday 31 July.
Temperatures soared to 28C, hotter than Lanzarote, which lured vast numbers of people to various Lothians beaches. Portobello even saw an outbreak of violence in the afternoon, with police called to a brawl that had broken out in the area.
Sharing photos of similar busy scenes in East Lothian, a council representative said:
“Many people are wanting to enjoy the good weather and visiting East Lothian beaches. Some of the popular spots including Yellowcraig, Gullane and North Berwick are experiencing very high numbers of visitors with car parks full before lunchtime.
"People planning to visit the coast this weekend are advised to plan ahead, prepare for possible traffic delays and remember that current public health guidelines remain to ‘avoid busy places and observe physical distancing’."
Vehicles were also pictured illegally parked along the side of the road in Aberlady, near Gullane, left by people who were either unable or unwilling to use the area's car parks.
The scenes came on the same day that Nicola Sturgeon announced that Scotland has seen 30 new cases of coronavirus recorded in the last 24 hours, the highest daily number recorded in more than eight weeks.
The First Minister made the announcement today at the coronavirus daily briefing, which was called after it was announced Scots should avoid travelling to the north of England.
People returning from affected areas in the north of England have been advised to isolate for 14 days when they return.
