Crowds gather in West Country tourist hotspots despite coronavirus warnings

Hundreds of people have headed to popular tourist hotspots across the West Country despite warnings to stay at home during the coronavirus outbreak.

As the sun shone, crowds headed out to beaches and seafronts, ignoring social distancing advice needed to slow the spread of the illness.

A video from Joe Bracegirdle shows long rows of cars lining the road at Tregantle Beach in Cornwall (above).

On Friday, Cornwall Council and Steve Double, the MP for St Austell and Newquay, pleaded with people not to head for the county during the outbreak.

Similar scenes could be seen at Weston-super-Mare. Cherry O'Connell filmed the above video showing crowds gathered on the beach and seafront promenade.

Exmoor National Park say they've also seen visitor numbers soar and are urging people to follow government social distancing guidelines.

A library image of a deserted promenade in Cheltenham

In stark contrast, many usually busy areas were completely deserted last night after the Prime Minister told pubs, cafes and restaurants to close.

Cheltenham's normally bustling promenade and Brewery Quarter were empty as Saturday revellers left with no option but to stay away.

An empty Brewery Quarter in Cheltenham