Police to patrol North Tyneside's coast as lockdown restrictions ease
Busy coastal areas and parks across North Tyneside will be patrolled by local police as lockdown restrictions are eased.
Officers will be joined by the council's Community and Public Space Protection Team to reassure visitors.
From today people can meet up with one other person from another household outdoors for exercise, recreation such as a coffee or a picnic.
North Tyneside Council is making "early plans to cope with an influx of visitors to its award-winning parks and beaches" once lockdown restrictions begin to ease, a spokesperson said.
Restrictions are then set to be downgraded again on March 29 to allow larger gatherings under the 'rule of six' and the council is working with Northumbria Police and Nexus to make sure the coastline and green spaces are well-prepared.For now, the council is reminding residents and visitors to only exercise locally and avoid gathering in groups. Community support officers and Covid marshals will be out and about reminding people about the importance of sticking to the rules.
At the coast, beach wardens, who normally start work in June, will start in spring to help keep visitors safe.
The council also plans to install additional waste bins at hotspots and deploy extra resources to empty them.
North Tyneside's Elected Mayor, Norma Redfearn CBE, said: "We know that many people will be looking forward to enjoying our beautiful award-winning beaches and parks once the restrictions are lifted.
"We have listened to our residents and we are using the experience of previous summers to plan our approach to keeping North Tyneside a great place to live, work and visit, and we ask the public to work with us to help achieve that."