Bournemouth sun-seekers get stung with 800 parking tickets

More than 800 parking tickets were issued across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole as temperatures soared over the hottest weekend this year.

Pictures on social media showed dozens of cars parked on verges, pavements and double yellow lines, as seafront car parks reached capacity from as early as 10:00 BST on Sunday.

Temporary road closures were also in place due to heavy traffic congestion.

BCP Council said more than 400,000 people visited the area at the weekend.

It added seafront rangers reunited 40 missing children with their parents or guardians, people illegally camping on the beach were moved on and 89 tonnes of waste was collected from more than 650 bins.

Bournemouth police also posted pictures of litter and glass bottles left on the sand.

Posts on social media criticised the irresponsible parkers but also condemned the council's response to it.

Councillor Drew Mellor, leader of BCP Council, said: "We did see an increase in those choosing to park irresponsibly and our enforcement team were on the ground dealing with this as we issued more parking tickets yesterday than on the busiest day last year.

"We will continue to look at how we can improve our efforts on this one area that is still causing significant problems whilst reflecting that, as the number one beach in the UK and top 20 worldwide, we are going to be busy on weekends like this.

"It is unfortunate that some people chose to ignore the rules and I would like to assure residents that we prioritise key areas to ensure main routes remain accessible. "

Mr Mellor added the increase in visitors was "much needed" for the hotels, restaurants and bars in the area, and added the weekend was an improvement on scenes last year.

Last June, a major incident was declared in Bournemouth by the local authority after thousands flocked to the Dorset coast during a heatwave.

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