Cornish locals report up to 650 second home owners and Airbnb tourists as they continue to flock to rural areas during coronavirus lockdown amid fears of Easter influx
- Police and council chiefs stepping up efforts to deter day-trippers to the area
- Cars and caravans being stopped on the M5, at service stations and car parks
- Gordon Ramsay slammed for flouting guidelines and bringing family to Cornwall
- Airbnb insists it has blocked spare rooms being advertised during the lockdown
Hundreds of holiday lets and second home owners who have arrived in Cornwall ahead of the Easter weekend have been reported to the council.
Locals have highlighted some 650 cases of people ignoring the government’s lockdown orders in the past five days alone, according to The Times.
Since the nationwide measures to limit the spread of coronavirus were announced last month, the authorities have been stepping up efforts to deter day-trippers.
A sign in Constantine Bay village on the north coast of Cornwall, pictured, warns people to follow the lockdown guidelines
This includes police stopping cars and caravans on key routes into the area, such as the M5, as well as at service stations and beauty spot car parks.
Visitors spotted on coastal paths have also been quizzed by officers.
Rob Nolan, Cornwall council’s cabinet member for environment and public protection, told the newspaper some holiday accommodation owners were still trading but tourists using them have been told to return home.
St Ives in Cornwall, a popular tourist destination, has been deserted during the lockdown, pictured, but locals fear an influx of visitors ahead of the Easter weekend
‘The police are relying on unnecessary travel to stop the second home owners. They are going to ramp it up at the weekend,’ he said.
‘Locals are very anxious about people moving in next door to them.’
Most of the reports – made since the council asked for reports of lockdown rebels last Friday – have been about Airbnb rentals.
Furious residents have slammed Gordon Ramsay, pictured, for moving to his £4.4million mansion in Cornwall amid the coronavirus outbreak
TV chef Gordon Ramsay is among those to have travelled to Cornwall in recent days, with nearby villagers furious with the 53-year-old for moving his family to their £4.4 million mansion in order to isolate amid the ongoing pandemic.
Other celebrities to have caused outrage by using the lockdown as an opportunity to move to the countryside include David and Victoria Beckham
Cleaners working in holiday homes have even been asked to prepare properties for their owners’ arrival, according to the local MP.
Ian Liddell-Grainger, who represents Bridgwater and West Somerset, said he feared local health services would not be able to cope with an outbreak.
There have even been reports of people moving into second homes, then driving back to London because they forgot their bread-maker, before returning again, The Times said.
Airbnb told the newspaper it had taken away instant bookings and blocked spare rooms being advertised in the UK throughout the lockdown, as part of measures to ‘help everyone follow government guidance and keep people safe’.