HOLIDAYMAKERS from London have allegedly been fined £300 from Dorset Police after sleeping overnight and littering on Sandbanks beach.

The group of visitors had pitched a gazebo and tent on the beach close to the car park.

When informed they had to move on, a female member of the group collected up rubbish and threw it in the sand dunes. She was told to clear it up and fined.

A police spokesman said: “We were called at 7.41am on Thursday May 21, 2020 to a report of people camping on the beach at Sandbanks.

“Officers attended and found that the people, who had come down from London, had stayed overnight and pitched a tent and gazebo.

“One man was reported for a breach of Covid-19 regulations. Officers returned a short time later and the group were gone.”

Patrols will be stepped up over the Bank Holiday weekend by the council and officers as tourists are due to flock to south coast.

Resident Beryl Edwards said: “They were clearly planning on staying for a while as the policeman he spoke to them said he’d never seen so much stuff. It was like a holiday chalet!

“What concerns me is that it’s not even the weekend yet. Sandbanks doesn’t have a sufficient infrastructure to deal with these numbers, particularly when most supporting cafes, toilets etc are closed.

“Unfortunately, too many people coming in have little regard for looking after the place because they don’t live here. They can’t even be bothered to take their own litter home.”