Benidorm on steroids! Cornish locals say they are ‘too scared’ to go food shopping as visitors ignore social distancing and pour down narrow streets
- Street marshals have been patrolling hotspots where visitors pour down streets
- St Ives resident has banned her children from the main street and harbour
- Comes as Prime Minister urged Brits to enjoy staycations in the UK
Cornish resorts have been labelled ‘Benidorm on steroids’ after floods of visitors have left residents too scared to leave their houses and go shopping for food.
Street marshals have been patrolling hotspots after visitors were seen pouring down narrow streets without paying attention to social-distancing rules, despite warning signs being put in place.
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Britons to enjoy staycations in the UK.
One resident spoke on BBC Radio 1 this morning and described the area as ‘Benidorm on steroids’.
Cornish resorts have been labelled ‘Benidorm on steroids’ after floods of visitors have left residents too scared to leave their houses and go shopping for food. Pictured: Bustling streets in St Ives yesterday
Street marshals have been patrolling hotspots after visitors were seen pouring down narrow streets without paying attention to social-distancing rules. Pictured: Tourists flock to Fistral beach in Cornwall yesterday
One resident described the area as ‘Benidorm on steroids’. Pictured: People crammed into a bus in St Ives yesterday
And a St Ives resident who manages holiday lets, Claire Harris, 37, said her family was ‘too scared to go food shopping’.
She revealed that she has banned her children from the main street and harbour because of the hordes of people.
Another resident, Jonathan Pitts, told the BBC that he believes tourists think they are escaping coronavirus when they visit the quiet towns.
Vicky White, from Newyln, said: ‘It makes me very uneasy to go out with my two young kids. It is sad for residents to not be able to enjoy where they live.’
A St Ives resident who manages holiday lets, Claire Harris, 37, said her family was ‘too scared to go food shopping’. Pictured: People flood the streets of St Ives yesterday
Beachgoers flocked to Fistral beach in Cornwall yesterday to soak up the balmy weather
Another resident, Jonathan Pitts, believes tourists think they are escaping coronavirus when they visit the quiet towns
And staff members from Perranzabuloe’s convenience stores have reportedly been subjected to ‘unreal’ amounts of abuse when they try and enforce social-distancing measures.
Royden Paynter, harbour master at Mousehole, said: ‘Suddenly we’ve been hit with a stampede.
‘Everybody is a bit more stressed this year – they don’t move out of your way’.
But Adrienne Munday, a small business owner there, said Covid-19 concerns had been ‘over dramatised’ and most people were delighted to welcome back the ‘summer buzz’.
Coronavirus cases have more than doubled in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – with 19 new cases in the week to July 27, compared to just eight new cases in the week before.
A Cornwall Council spokesperson said: ‘To help guide people in city and town centres we have marked ‘keep right’ walkways and put up signing, and there are street wardens on hand to offer advice.
‘Cornwall Council will continue to monitor congested sites and provide signs and marshals where they may help, but we ask everyone to be considerate of others and follow public health guidance to help reduce the risk of transmission.’