Guidance

COVID-19: Guidance for managing beaches, the countryside and coastal areas

Updated 29 March 2021

This guidance was withdrawn on

This guidance is withdrawn. While cases are high and rising, everybody needs to continue to act carefully and remain cautious. For information on the safe management of outdoor public spaces you should instead consult the COVID-19: Safer Public Places- Managing Public Outdoor Settings guidance published on 19 July 2021.

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-beaches-the-countryside-and-coastal-areas/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-beaches-the-countryside-and-coastal-areas

A new COVID-19 variant is spreading in some parts of England. There may be additional advice for your area. Find out what you need to do.

Please note

This guidance is of a general nature and should be treated as a guide. In the event of any conflict between any applicable legislation (including health and safety legislation) and this guidance, the applicable legislation shall prevail.

This guide relates to England only.

Introduction

On 22 February the government published the ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’ setting out a roadmap explaining how restrictions will be eased over time. Owners and operators should consult the latest information on what activity is allowed and what premises are allowed to remain open under current restrictions.

Public Health is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Owners and operators of beaches, countryside and coastal areas in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should refer to guidance published by the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive respectively.

How to use this document

This page has been divided into 3 sections:

  1. COVID-19 secure guidance/other government guidance/interventions
  2. Externally produced guidance
  3. Examples of UK and International practice

Each section has been subdivided by the issue that the material is aimed at addressing.

COVID-19 secure guidance/other government guidance/interventions

This section includes relevant COVID-19 secure guidance and other government policy interventions arranged by topic.

Jump to:

  1. Supporting social distancing and tackling overcrowding
  2. Dealing with antisocial behaviour / enforcement
  3. Toilets and public facilities management including waste management and car parking
  4. Safety / emergency access
  5. Communicating and engaging with the public
  6. Supporting tourist areas
  7. Managing local outbreaks

Supporting social distancing and tackling overcrowding

This guidance provides the owners and operators of beaches, countryside and coastal destinations with practical advice on how these can be managed effectively to enable their use while minimising the transmission risk of COVID-19.

Further information to support social distancing can be found in the links below.

Regulations which may be helpful to supporting managing the safe use of beaches, countryside and coastal destinations, while minimising the risk of transmission of coronavirus are below.

Dealing with anti-social behaviour

A high volume of visitors to beaches, countryside and coastal areas for exercise and outdoor recreation may create an increase in incidents of anti-social behaviour such as littering, public defecation/urination, drug use and drunk and disorderly behaviour.

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014(the ‘2014 Act’) provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers to enable them to respond quickly and effectively to antisocial behaviour. Front line practitioners managing incidents of antisocial behaviour should continue to follow core public health guidance.

The powers in the 2014 Act are deliberately local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances. Home Office guidance was published to support the use of these powers, and this was updated in January 2021.

Further information can be found within the links below:

Public toilet provision

Objective: To ensure that toilets are kept open and to promote good hygiene, social distancing, and cleanliness in toilet facilities.

Public toilets, portable toilets and toilets inside premises should be kept open and carefully managed to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.

Toilets and public facilities

Government has produced guidance, principles and measures that can be taken, to manage public toilets and keep them clean to minimise COVID-19 transmission risk.

The advice below is included in a variety of government guidance:

Steps that will usually be needed:

  • using signs and posters to build awareness of good handwashing technique, the need to increase handwashing frequency and to avoid touching your face, and to cough or sneeze into a tissue which is binned safely, or into your arm if a tissue is not available
  • consider the use of social distancing marking in areas where queues normally form, and the adoption of a limited entry approach, with one in, one out (whilst avoiding the creation of additional bottlenecks)
  • to enable good hand hygiene consider making hand sanitiser available on entry to toilets where safe and practical, and ensure suitable handwashing facilities including running water and liquid soap and suitable options for drying (either paper towels or hand driers) are available
  • setting clear use and cleaning guidance for toilets, with increased frequency of cleaning in line with usage. Use normal cleaning products, paying attention to frequently hand touched surfaces, and consider use of disposable cloths or paper roll to clean all hard surfaces
  • keep the facilities well ventilated, for example by fixing doors open where appropriate
  • special care should be taken for cleaning or portable toilets and larger toilet blocks
  • putting up a visible cleaning schedule and keep it up to date and visible
  • providing more waste facilities and more frequent rubbish collection

Local authorities, owners and operators may also want to consider increasing public toilet facilities to ensure there is suitable provision, for example by providing portable toilets.

Waste management

Residual “black bag” litter bins should be provided for visitors to dispose of used face coverings or PPE, such as gloves. Bins should be emptied frequently. Local authorities and other operators may wish to consider providing additional refuse collection bins where high footfall is expected. Further information on disposing of personal or business waste can be found below.

Cleaning in non-healthcare settings

Guidance on cleaning non-healthcare settings where COVID-19 has been present can be found below:

Travel

Guidance to support transport operators to assess and address the risks of coronavirus (COVID-19) and for passengers to plan ahead and travel safely can be found below.

Car parking

Guidance for local authorities on enforcing parking restrictions, to maintain access for emergency services, residents’ vehicles and pedestrians, can be found below.

On 25 June 2020, government temporarily extended the length of time for which permitted development rights can be used to allow anyone to use land for any purpose in a single year. The length of time that land can be used for any purpose is now 56 days (or 28 days with respect to holding a market or for motor sports). Government recently extended this right to allow the same number of days for 2021.

Local authorities may wish to consider how the temporary changes to permitted development rights can support management of their areas.

Further information on the temporary changes can be found below.

Safety/emergency access

Visitors must be made aware if there is a reduction in lifeguard or mountain rescue services so they can manage their own risk.

The information and links to information below will help owners and operators in these areas in ensuring safety and emergency access is maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as communicating with visitors on how to keep safe.

Communicating / engaging with the public

Communication and engagement is an important factor in encouraging the general public to abide by rules and interventions.

The following links and resources have been collated to support the owners and operators of these areas in their communication activities.

Supporting tourist areas

Owners and operators should consult the latest information on what activity is allowed and what premises are allowed to remain open under current restrictions.

The following guidance has been produced and interventions made by government.

On 20 March a new £56 million Welcome Back Fund (WBF) was announced to support a safe and successful reopening of our high streets and seaside resorts, giving people the reassurance that they can shop and socialise in a COVID-secure way.

This funding builds on the £50 million Reopening High Streets Safely Fund (RHSSF) announced in May 2020, doubling local authority funding allocations and significantly increasing the scope of eligible activity.

In addition to the activity included in the RHSSF, this new funding will also help support and promote a safe public environment for a local area’s visitor economy and allow local areas to develop plans for responding to the longer-term impact of Covid-19.

Given the unique challenges they face coastal communities will also receive additional funding.

The WBF Guidance and FAQs have now been published on GOV.UK. Local authorities are required to submit an outline of their plans for this funding to MHCLG by 30th May 2021.

The Business and Planning Act 2020 which received Royal Assent on 22 July 2020. It includes a new streamlined and cheaper route for businesses such as cafes, restaurants and bars to secure a licence to place furniture on the highway. This supported them to operate safely while social distancing measures remained in place and in March 2021 the government announced this would be extended for a further 12 months. A link to guidance on pavement licenses can be found below.

Compliance, enforcement and managing local outbreaks

Guidance is available on how national and local partners may work with the public at a local level to prevent, contain and manage outbreaks.

The police can take action against individuals if they meet in larger groups which breach regulations. This includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fines (fixed penalty notices). See further information.

An owner, proprietor or manager carrying out a business (or a person responsible for other premises) who fails to fulfil the obligations placed on them in law, without reasonable excuse, commits an offence.

In England, local authority compliance and enforcement officers (such as Environmental Health and Trading Standards officers) will monitor business compliance and take enforcement action where appropriate, with police support provided if necessary. See further information on business restrictions.

The government has also provided local authorities in England with additional powers to take decisive action against premises that do not comply with COVID-Secure rules. These enable enforcement officers to issue improvement, restriction, prohibition and fixed penalty notices to premises that are not meeting COVID-Secure business obligations.

All local authorities have powers to help manage local outbreaks, and under the No. 3 Regulations, upper tier local authorities have the additional power to issue directions to close or impose measures in relation to specific premises, public outdoors places, or events.

Local authorities may wish to consider the use of COVID secure marshals, stewards or their equivalents to support compliance and social distancing. These staff can provide in-person advice and support in areas of high footfall to aid compliance with COVID-19 rules and social distancing requirements. Further advice on the potential roles and responsibilities of marshals or their equivalents can be found below.

Externally produced guidance

Please find below links to relevant advice and guidance produced by external organisations.

Please note: the advice, measures and views expressed in the guidance documents linked to below are solely those of the organisations that have authored the documents.

The links provided were included on 10 July 2020 and checked on 23 March 2021 to ensure they were still functional. These will not be regularly reviewed for their continued maintenance.

Supporting social distancing and tackling overcrowding

Dealing with antisocial behaviour

Toilets and public facilities management including car parking

Safety/emergency access

Communicating/engaging with the public

Supporting the tourist economy to reopen safely

The High Streets Task Force

The High Streets Task Force which was established by government has strengthened local leadership and provide high streets and town centres with expert advice to adapt and thrive.

The High Streets Task Force is hosted externally by the Institute of Place Management.

The High Streets Task Force has created a range of resources to support high streets and town centres in adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic. See the library of resources.

To note, resources created by the High Streets Task Force have been created by independent experts on behalf of the High Streets Task Force. It is not intended as government guidance and the High Streets Task Force has not sought approval for it to be so.

Examples of UK and international practice

The examples provided below are to illustrate how local areas have chosen to adapt their individual local experiences. These examples from 2020 are indicative and do not imply a preferred approach by government.

UK examples

  • Brighton and Hove

In Brighton and Hove, the council has temporarily closed Madeira Drive to motor vehicle traffic to open the sea front promenade for greater pedestrian use. The area is now stewarded from 8am to 8pm daily to ensure that businesses will maintain essential access to their properties, while maximising the usage of the area for pedestrians and cyclists.

In addition, in response to the recent increase in littering the council has installed new large bins to encourage visitors to dispose of their waste properly, increased bin collections, and extended enforcement officer patrols by an extra hour to tackle the worst offenders. Enforcement officers can issue on the spot £150 fines to members of the public. The council also employed extra staff to clear litter on the seafront and in parks.

  • UK National Parks

At national parks such as the Lake District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District, live updates on car parking availability are provided via the website. In the Lake District National Park, these updates also include information on whether toilet facilities are provided via the website to help the public plan their trip and know what is available before they leave their home and on their journey. Roadside signage directs travellers to check the status of their chosen destination. Daily multi-agency patrols mean the latest information can be shared with the public and ensure that visitor numbers are kept to a level that enables tourists to visit the area while maintaining social distancing. A website was created to make it easier for visitors to find guidance on visiting safely (saferlakes.co.uk). Over 150,000 people used the page in the first month.

  • Folkestone and Hythe

The district council installed additional large bins, banned the use of BBQs in the Coastal Park, and installed new lockable gates to close the Coastal Park from 8pm to 8am to discourage people from staying in the area until late evening and tackle littering and wildfires. The council also refreshed double yellow lines and consulted on resident parking schemes in the area to discourage obstructive and illegal parking following issues regarding emergency service access.

  • St. Ives

In St. Ives, a partnership between the Town Council, Cornwall Council BID and the harbour master implemented road closures and traffic restrictions between the hours of 11am and 4pm to remove all but essential vehicles from the town’s streets. The council also urged visitors to access the town by foot between these times to help maintain social distancing through increased pedestrianisation.

Please also see below more recent examples which build on lessons learned from 2020:

  • Cornwall

Following the return of a limited number of University of Exeter and Falmouth University students to their Cornwall campuses in Falmouth and Penryn, the Universities and Falmouth Town Council have reinstated the provision of COVID marshals. These marshals, jointly funded by the 3 organisations, undertake patrols in the town, residential and beach areas. They operate from 8pm-3am, 7 days per week.

Following experiences from the lifting of lockdown restriction in 2020, these patrols will help to support COVID compliance of all residents in the town and work closely with the town council, police and the Universities. This approach was supported by the Safer Falmouth Group of multi-agency representatives.

Additionally, Cornwall Council has also used funds from enforcement grants to target compliance activities. They are anticipating a busier than usual Summer holiday period due to current overseas travel regulations and have used intelligence gained from the previous lifting of restriction in 2020. In potentially busy night-time coastal areas, which may attract anti-social behavioural issues, they plan to deploy extra compliance officer resources from less busy areas to meet the anticipated increase in volume of visitors.

  • West Wittering

In West Wittering, a local beach ticketing system was implemented in 2020 using the Just Park app. Visitors to West Wittering beach are required to book their parking slot ahead of time which has helped to control the numbers of visitors to the beach, and thus mitigated associated issues of high visitor numbers. West Wittering has continued to work with local authorities to address some of the concerns that illegal parking has caused. Visit West Wittering beach visitor information for further information.

International examples from 2020

  • Benidorm, Spain

Ropes have been used to divide beaches into sections catering for groups of 4 people per area. Some sections, marked in a different colour, were reserved for the over 70s. Other sections were reserved for a beach licensee who was allowed to install a number of sunbeds for hire. Beach users were expected to wear a mask where social distancing is not possible (e.g. walking to the beach) but were able to remove it once in their section of the beach area. When crowded, beach users were able to reserve their beach spots via an app or in person through information centres.

  • Sweden

Towns with beaches plan to invest in information campaigns and extra cleaning of public toilets. They will ask staff working on piers and beaches to take responsibility for controlling visitor numbers and encouraging social distancing. The town of Ystad plans to hire members of the public as marshals to remind visitors of the social distancing rules in place.

  • Italy

Sunbeds have been placed apart from each to promote social distancing, with ropes to cordon off the area around them. Ropes are also being used to cordon off one-way walkways to the sea and also off the beach. To avoid queues at food and drink vendors, some beaches, such as Porto Cesareo are offering to serve refreshments to people at their spot on the beach. Others such as Sardinia’s La Pelosa will use a ticketing system to control visitor numbers.

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