After two serious fires in the sand dunes in Southport police have vowed to catch those responsible.
They will be patrolling the Southport coast this weekend in a bid to stop people gathering, and are warning people against taking BBQs with them.
They will be paying particular attention to the old Southport sandworks and the Jubilee Trail in Birkdale, where groups of people have been seen gathering.
A Sefton Police spokesman said: “Following the two fires in the dunes at Southport this week, we continue to work with Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and Green Sefton to try and identify those responsible.
“The Sefton Coastline is a ‘no-barbecue’ zone. Together we will be actively discouraging people from taking barbecues to the beach and other dune areas, such as the Jubilee Trail and the old sandworks, where groups have been seen gathering. The risk of fire spreading is high, due to the long period of hot and dry weather. In addition, where groups are gathered, there may be breaches to the Covid-19 restrictions.
“These areas and more will be patrolled over the coming weekend, utilising all our off road capacity vehicles.
After two serious fires in the sand dunes in Southport police are working with Green Sefton and Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service to find those responsible
“We understand that under normal circumstances this period of warm weather would make people want to be outside and visit tourist areas. We are concerned that more vehicles are on the roads than earlier in the restrictions. Please remember, the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over. The government instructions to stay at home remain in place.”
Police say that the only reasons people should leave your home are:
1: shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible
2: one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household
3: any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid or escape risk of injury or harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
4: travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home
A police spokesman said: “We continue to get calls about people not of the same family gathering at homes. Please remember you should not be visiting, or being visited by anyone that does not live at your home address, to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
“Do not try to ‘get around’ the restrictions which are in place to reduce the risk of spreading this potentially lethal virus.
“Stay safe. Stay Homes, Save Lives.”
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