Cornwall has been branded ‘Benidorm on steroids’ after massives crowds ignoring social distancing left some locals ‘scared to go food shopping’.

Beach resorts across south England were described as ‘absolute madness’ this weekend by people on social media, as thousands gathered to enjoy the sun.

Street marshals patrolled the streets in Cornwall today after authorities in Brighton and Bournemouth pleaded with people to stay away on Friday.

It comes as new data shows coronavirus infections are on the rise across England for the first time since May.

St Ives resident Claire Harris, 37, revealed she and her friends had banned their children from the main shopping street and harbour front after seeing huge crowds of tourists.

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Speaking to the BBC, she claimed her family was ‘too scared to go food shopping’, as another 74 people died with coronavirus across the UK.

Vicky White, from Newyln, also told the news outlet she felt ‘uneasy’ going outside with her two young children, while others claimed they’d been driven away from shops by visitors.

However, Adrienne Munday, a small business owner in Mousehole, insisted the situation had been ‘dramatised’ and most locals were happy the tourist season had finally kicked off after months of lockdown.

Recent figures show the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has risen in Cornwall in the last week – but fallen across neighbouring county Devon.

The two counties are seeing an average of 5.88 cases a day, compared to 4.57 last week.

The Coastguard was called more than 300 times on the hottest day of the year yesterday, making it the service’s busiest 24 hours in four years.

Temperatures reached 37.8°C at London’s Heathrow Airport at 2.41pm, leading the Met Office to announce it was the UK’s third hottest day on record.

The good weather spurred masses of pubgoers to flock to pubs and beer gardens.

However, the government has warned that certain areas face a second lockdown if people don’t start keeping their distance.

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