Coronavirus: PM warns over virus rules after beach crowds

Spikes in coronavirus cases abroad should act as a warning to Britons who flout social distancing rules, Boris Johnson has said.

The PM said crowds on Bournemouth beach on Thursday suggested people needed to understand that "mingling too much" could set the UK back.

He said people in other countries had been "taking too many liberties with the guidance" as lockdown rules eased.

Ministers have warned UK beaches could be closed if infections rise.

A further 186 deaths of people who had tested positive for coronavirus in the UK were announced on Friday, with the total number to have died now standing at 43,414.

The latest figures, released by the Department for Health and Social Care, showed a further 1,006 people had tested positive for the virus.

Mr Johnson said people in some countries were "not observing social distancing".

"Some parts of the world - I won't name them - but have you have got spikes, really serious spikes in instances of the disease, so it's crucial that people understand that on 4 July we get this right, that we do this in a balanced way, and we recognise the risks," he said.

"You may think you are not going to get it, that you're immortal and invincible and so on - and very likely that's true if you are young person. But the bug you carry can kill elderly people particularly. It is still dangerous; the virus is still out there."

Bournemouth was "stretched to the absolute hilt" on Thursday, the local council said, with reports of gridlocked roads, fights and overnight camping. A local MP estimated 500,000 people visited Dorset during the course of the day.

A "major incident" was declared on the beach as a "standby measure"- which Dorset Council later said was because of an increase in people visiting hospital A&E departments and gridlocked traffic stopping ambulances getting through.

But Sam Crowe, the council's director of public health, said he was more concerned about the risk of coronavirus being transmitted in enclosed environments, such as trains, as visitors travelled to the county.

Environment Secretary George Eustice told BBC Breakfast: "We just have to recognise yesterday was the hottest day of the year, incredibly hot, a lot of people had the same idea, they all went to the beach, and yes of course those scenes at Bournemouth are a matter for concern."

He said people had "generally" observed current social distancing rules - keeping 2m apart from other households - and forcing beaches to close would not be the first course of action.

Internationally, France, Portugal and Spain are among the countries that allowed visits to beaches during early phases of reopening.

In Sydney, beaches were closed for a month during the early part of Australia's lockdown and reopened after the country's daily rate of new cases had dropped below 100 for a couple of weeks.

Beaches in New York City, which has been badly hit by the virus, will only fully reopen to swimmers on 1 July.