Woman complains packed beach is 'like being in Tesco' after driving more than an hour to get there

‘I’m quite shocked as to how many people are here,’ she says

A woman has complained a busy beach was “like being in Tesco” after driving an hour and a half herself to visit the seaside.

Interviewed by a reporter while sitting with her family, she said she was surprised at how many people were by the sea during the coronavirus outbreak.

“It is lovely to get out but I’m quite shocked as to how many people are here and how they aren’t paying attention to social distancing,” Jane Peacock told BBC News.

“I find that quite annoying to be honest. It’s like being in Tesco,” she said at the beach, which was reportedly in Dorset.

The family had driven an hour and a half to get to the seaside, BBC News reported.

Her daughter Ellie said: “It’s nice to get out of quarantine but I think it’s going to peak again because everyone’s going to go mad and go anywhere they can.”

People are now allowed to take day trips within England – including to beaches – after the government relaxed some of its lockdown rules over coronavirus.

Despite having more freedom to travel, members of the public have been told to avoid crowds and keep their distance from those they do not live with.

They are allowed to meet one person from another household, as long as they keep a distance of two metres away from each other.

More than 246,400 people have contracted coronavirus in the UK to date, according to health ministry figures released on Monday.

Meanwhile, around 34,800 people who tested positive for the virus have died.