The rubbish at Durdle Door which has now been removed from the beaches
Hordes at the Door By Louis Pulford
A picturesque landmark on the coast of Dorset and a World Heritage Site of sheer beauty was visited by hoards of day trippers on the weekend of 30 and 31 May.
Emergency vehicles in the car
park
Lulworth Estate had opened its Durdle Door car park to the public after a shift in lockdown rules. This appeared to have been interpreted by many as an invitation to day trippers from all over the country to visit the World Heritage Site. The fact that the country is still in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic did not deter the hordes of visitors and, whilst amassing at Durdle Door to enjoy themselves and take in the sights, there was little regard given to social distancing. What was going on at Durdle Door was brought into sharp focus when three people were seriously injured after jumping off the cliff on 30 May. This incident caused a mass evacuation of the beach to make room for two air ambulances to collect the casualties. As a result of the widespread media coverage, Dorset Council closed roads in the area the following day and put out a plea for people to think twice before visiting Dorset’s beaches because maintaining social distancing was becoming difficult. Despite this, the beach was as busy the following day and there were further reports of people tombstoning off the 70-foot cliff. Even though there is a one-way system in place to reduce people crossing on paths when they access the beach, the two
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4DORSET June 2020
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