Lockdown rules put to the test as temperatures soar in lockdown heatwave and Brits hit beaches

Ewan Somerville20 May 2020

Lockdown rules are facing another major test as Brits flock outdoors while a heatwave sends temperatures soaring.

Visitors unleashed from the house under new Government rules have descended on beaches, sea fronts and parks in their droves to enjoy the sunny weather.

Temperatures are set to hit 28C, making for a glorious setting to parks and natural beauty spots which people are now allowed to travel to so long as social distancing is followed.

But it could prove a heavy strain for the lockdown rules which still ban mass gatherings and meetings with more than one person outside the household.

UK lockdown heatwave - In pictures

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Despite the weather, the crisis remains stark with new Office for National Statistics figures on Tuesday suggesting the true UK-wide coronavirus death toll has topped 44,000.

Official fatalities rose by 545 on Tuesday to pass 35,000.

The Met Office said most of the country is braced for a “fine day” on Wednesday with “plenty of very warm sunshine”.

Brits made the most of their newfound slight freedom to hit beaches
PA

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: “There will be a bit of a grey, misty start for some first thing [on Wednesday] but that will quickly burn away. The vast majority of the UK will have a dry day with sunny spells, if not blue skies all day for some.”

It comes after sunbathers made the most of their freedom at London's St James's Park on Tuesday with the mercury climbing to 26.2C, beating 2020's previous top temperature of 26C set last month.

Pictures showed Britons lounged on beaches and in parks as they basked in the sunshine.

Temperatures are set to hit highs of 28C
PA

Others flooded tourist honeypots including the Lake District, where locals have erected makeshift roadblocks to keep visitors away.

Police issued more than 14,000 fines to lockdown floaters in England and Wales between March 27 and May 11, including 906 handed out by Scotland Yard to Londoners and 862 repeat offenders.

The penalty has now risen from £60 to £100 to stop people becoming complacent amid the slight loosening of the rules.

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However, the police have been told they have no powers to enforce social distancing, leading PM Boris Johnson to appeal to the public to use their “common sense” in following the rules.

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