The UK has been put on lockdown with strict new measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 after thousands of people took advantage of the nice weather at the weekend and flocked to the coast.

The country has been told to stay at home, going out only to exercise once a day and buy necessities, after beauty spots were seen to be filled with crowds of people.

Photos emerged of West Bay and Lyme Regis filled with people on Saturday and Sunday, despite advice to be social distancing and stay at home.

Bridport resident Neil Barnes has been self-isolating with his daughter since last Monday as she is extremely vulnerable, and he is in the at-risk group and was ‘sickened’ to see crowds of people out at the Bay.

He said: “I always check the West Bay webcam to see if anything of interest is going on there and I was sickened to see how many people were milling about seemingly completely oblivious to the guidelines on social distancing. You could also see quite a few campervans coming and going which begs the question, how many of these were people turning up for a holiday?”

Tony Bunyan saw lots of people out in Bridport from his window.

“I watched vast crowds of people shopping in west Street, drinking hot drinks, eating their lunch in the street, people hugging, kissing and shaking hands, all without a care for social distancing,” he said.

“I fully understand that we rely greatly on tourism and times are going to be financially tough for us all but we must follow the guidelines we have been given or many thousands of people will suffer and maybe not come through this crisis at all. “

Sally Townsend was also shocked to see so many people out.

She said: “I am appalled at the ignorance and complete disregard to government instructions and guidelines particularly at our holiday hotspots. Why do these people think it is safe to gather in crowds when they have been asked to stay at home?

“With this influx of extra people flouting the guidelines, this will put massive pressure on our already struggling health and emergency services.”

However, it may seem people are now following Government advice after the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday as Bridport Police and Louise Heatley, on her daily walk, took photos of a deserted West Bay earlier this week and posted them online.