Bournemouth (United Kingdom) (AFP)

The heat wave that hit Europe pushed the British en masse on the beaches on Thursday, prompting local authorities to call in the police to disperse them in the midst of a new coronavirus pandemic.

Temperature rose to 33.3 degrees Celsius at London Heathrow Airport, making Thursday the hottest day of the year according to weather officials, who expected the thermometer to approach Wales records. .

"Obviously it's nice to sunbathe, the children are happy in the water, it's a beautiful day", explains to AFP Magda Bewick, who came to sunbathe in the seaside town of Southend- on-Sea (East of England). "I am unemployed in my work, so what else can I do?" She justifies herself.

Faced with the crowd gathered on the beaches in spite of its recommendations, the town council of the seaside resort of Bournemouth, in the South, declared a "major incident", triggering a coordinated intervention by the police and rescue services.

More than 33 tonnes of garbage were picked up on the coast Thursday morning.

-Difficult distance-

"We are not in a position to welcome as many visitors currently (...). PLEASE, do not come, we are not ready to welcome you", pleaded the president of the municipal council, Vikki Slade , in this release.

Health authorities are currently recommending keeping two meters between each person to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, which has killed more than 43,000 people in the UK, the heaviest death toll in Europe.

This distance will be reduced to one meter to allow the reopening of pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas on July 4, but on condition that measures to reduce the risk, such as special protective equipment or ventilation, are put in place. square.

"We are still in the midst of a health crisis and so many people visiting our area are increasing the pressure on our emergency services," said local police official Sam de Reya.

At Southend-on-Sea, Magda Bewick believes that adults respect "social distancing as well as they can", but that "it is really the children (the problem)". "They do not understand how serious it is and could be for their family members."

Mercury panicked across much of Europe this week due to a mass of hot air from Africa, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees in the Scandinavian countries.

This heat wave, the first since the arrival of the coronavirus in the lives of Europeans, should not last with a drop in temperatures expected by the weekend.

© 2020 AFP