Lockdown-breaching visitors have forced an Angus tourism business to shut its until next year at one of the area’s most popular beaches.
Amid fears hot weather will lead to a weekend repeat of traffic chaos around Lunan Bay, the operators of a campsite and hotel there say they are not prepared to risk the safety of staff for the rest of the summer season.
The stunning beach, between Arbroath and Montrose, has been one of the key Angus troublespots since the pandemic broke.
Police have been called to deal with traffic trouble after hundreds of drivers ignored a council order put in place to keep folk away.
Last weekend, around 200 vehicles tried to get down the narrow farm road, raising concerns blue-light services could encounter life-threatening delays in the event of an emergency.
Lunan Bay Stays said it had reluctantly decided to pull the plug on a 2020 season already decimated by the coronavirus crisis.
It said it was with “much sadness and disappointment” that the accommodation and campsite would stay closed until next March on the basis it could not meet government criteria for a safe re-opening.
“On Saturday June 20 there was 182 vehicles recorded trying to access via the farm road in a short space of time,” said the firm in a statement.
“Our duty to protect staff, guests and customers would be compromised and it isn’t something we are prepared to put at risk.
“We have a duty to operate our business while considering the effects we have on the local community. At this time, we think it wouldn’t be appropriate to encourage even more visitors by opening accommodation and restaurants.”
The statement went on: “We will have missed nearly four months of our summer season by the time we can begin to open.
“The weather has been great so far this year and it would have been one of our good years. However, it would be a big risk for us to spend our cash reserves on new regulations as a lot of our business is weather dependent and we would prefer to use these reserves to see our staff through the next few months as they have to be our main priority.”
The company’s social media site has been flooded with support, with rule-breakers branded “morons” and “idiots”.
Angus councillor Brenda Durno slammed visitors for continuing to travel miles to the beach during lockdown.
“The council managed to get a traffic order in place but people were coming from as far as Stonehaven, no parking signs were just thrown into fields, hundreds of cars were parked everywhere and loads of rubbish left,” said the Arbroath East and Lunan SNP representative.
“In the current situation it is impossible for the locals to control and if there was an emergency situation the Coastguard might not be able to get down the road.”
