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Original poster

Why? Why oh why are people still coming here on holiday?

507 replies

Jux · 09/04/2020 18:45

Devon. We have seen caravans and motorhomes and people obviously on holiday (canoe and suitcases etc on car roof, all that stuff; it's bloody obvious), bikes loaded with camping stuff....

We live 20 miles from the beach and none of us have seen a wave for weeks. DH spends half the day complaining because he can't go to the beach in this lovely weather as he normally does.

Thank goodness the market is not on, or we'd be over-run. Really worried as both dd and I are vulnerable (not extremely vulnerable) and dh freaks out every time he has to go out as our Designated Shopper that he'll bring it home to us.

Why are people such arseholes?

We're going to need road blocks!

OP posts:
londonrach · 09/04/2020 21:28

Just remember why glad i left the west country where i grow up. Joke always you knew spimg was coming due to the number of caravans on the m5. Hope police send them back. Was meant to be down visiting family and family but cancelled it three weeks ago. No idea why anyone do unnecessary travel. Hate second home owners..they killed my pil village, no school, pub and village shop now.

Iamamoleinthegarden · 09/04/2020 21:28

It is what people do during a plague they flee and take it with them so tough.

You are firing off at completely the wrong people.

We are an island. We knew what was coming. We did not close our borders. We did not even institute any health checks nor quarantine people entering the country.

We deliberately allowed people in to freely roam around and infect everyone thereby achieving herd immunity at the cost of thousands and thousands dead.

So to you I say replace Devon with the UK because we are an island and Devon is not. It is too late by far to protect you and Devon alone. You need to think of the country as a whole and be less selfish.

The politicians fucked up not the surfers.

Justaboy · 09/04/2020 21:30

Simple answer is to get the Army to patrol the holiday routes and man a few roadblocks.,

Then anyone with a cravan who won't do as their told then summery roadside executions.

There! that'll lean them:)

Boredinthehouse · 09/04/2020 21:30

I’m in Cornwall. Haven’t seen the sea for 3 weeks.

BlackeyedSusan · 09/04/2020 21:31

that would really piss me off, being so close to the sea but not being able to go.

CodenameVillanelle · 09/04/2020 21:33

I'm so sad, my parents are in north Devon and we were supposed to be there this weekend. We stayed away to keep them safe and everybody else in the area. I'm so furious with the people who think it's their right to gallivant around the country when they fancy it.

Nanalisa60 · 09/04/2020 21:34

Mangnoliajustice

Don’t get me started on bloody Gordon Ramsay, sacked all his restaurant staff, fucks off to has big fancy house In Cornwall, then moans that he has never had to work so hard cooking for his bloody family, in there 5 million pound house with a pool by the beach!!

WHAT A C**T that man is

ProfessorPootle · 09/04/2020 21:36

You’d think they’d know better considering they come from Devon ...

www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/tourists-devon-stopped-police-way-4032988

BelleSausage · 09/04/2020 21:38

All these people are selfish cunts. My tiny village is full of them. The second homers who only speak up to stop the villagers having an extra bus service or festival (lowers the tone and their property prices) have all rocked up and are now taking all the order Slots from the butchers and pharmacy.

Some houses have stood totally empty for two years and are now inhabited with wankers.

MargotB7 · 09/04/2020 21:41

I must be really niave. I'm stunned people are still doing unessential travel.

BelleSausage · 09/04/2020 21:42

@ GCAcademic

I wonder if I am on the same village as your parents. There seems to be no end to the Sunday drivers making their way here to look around.

Everything is shut. They need to piss off.

gnomeisland · 09/04/2020 21:42

HighNetGirth that is one delivery drivers opinion.
Here in West Cornwall we are taking it very seriously despite the lack of police.
Most people are acutely aware of how fragile and sparse our NHS services are here. We have one major hospital at Truro but it's not adequate on an average winter flu outbreak. There are a huge number of vacancies for NHS staff permanently unfilled.
The available medics, nurses, hcps etc are already under huge strain.
Falmouth hospital which was designated as the General hospital for non-covid patients now this week has covid spreading through the general wards.

So far the covid cases in Cornwall have been relatively low, maybe due to how carefully the population has been behaving.

TheDogsMother · 09/04/2020 21:44

We live in a tiny village of about 40 houses. At least five families that I'm aware of have come from London to their weekend homes here. Rural, miles from hospitals, I despair.

Ilovemypantry · 09/04/2020 21:50

Hopefully the police will stop them at road blocks, issue a fine and make them turn back. It’s the only way to get through to some people.

Portulaca · 09/04/2020 21:51

I was in our village pharmacy yesterday and a man in front said he was down from London, had been here 5 weeks, and had recently recovered from Coronavirus. He brought it with him to his second home Angry

AndwhenyougetthereFoffsomemore · 09/04/2020 21:52

Honestly, I'm frustrated on Devon's behalf. We come down 3-4 times a year, have family there and a very basic property that's been in the family for 90 years, along with some lovely woodland which has been in the family well over 150 years :-) But we are essentially the dreadful second-home-rs. We have done Easter in Devon for the last 20 years or so - certainly every year since my 16 yo was born. There is no way we'd come down at the moment: because we LIKE everyone down there and we'd like them to be there when we get back! Plus my consultant mate at the hospital would kill us and bury us under his patio. Our cottage is being used by local family who need some extra space to cover WFH. Please don't assume all second homers are total bastards, much as it may seem like it.

Wehttam · 09/04/2020 21:52

All I can say is what a load of fucking selfish twats. Some people literally do not give a flying fuck about the wellbeing and health of others. It’s disgusting. I hope the locals tell them to piss off back to where they came from. The A30 to Cornwall should have been blocked off to stop them getting down there. Shocking.

mrsBtheparker · 09/04/2020 22:03

Local businesses and supermarkets should ask for proof of being a local resident, anything further than, say, 15 miles, no admittance.

PickledLilly · 09/04/2020 22:07

I live in South Devon and the police have spent much of the day booting people off various beaches Hmm no idea if they’re tourists or not but why you’d want to holiday somewhere when everything is shut I don’t know!

justasking111 · 09/04/2020 22:09

Our health board Betsi Cadwaladr in n. wales, have said they will not issue prescriptions to non locals who are visiting. That was a surprise.

Betsi Cadwaladr
6 hrs ·
❗️We would like to advise people living in second homes in North Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic that routine medication will not be provided to temporary residents, unless they have relocated to live with a carer who is ordinarily a resident within the Health Board area.

Requests for repeat medication to BCUHB GP practices, GP Out of Hours, Community Pharmacies, Minor Injuries Units, or Emergency Departments will be refused and temporary residents will be directed to contact their usual GP practice.

ExCwmbranDweller · 09/04/2020 22:11

Ridiculously outing but my beautiful village on a river by the sea is just a constant stream of police cars at the moment. Yesterday people came from near London, broke into a house over looking the beach and claimed they'd bought it (it's on the internet for sale). Unfortunately for them this is a VERY close knit area and the police were immediately called and I believe they were escorted out of the county by police after a night in the cells.

Today a group of adults were in the shop and then by the river drinking. Police came down and fined them but by that time they've touched everything in our lovely little shop - probably the only source of food for our older residents who are getting home deliveries by the staff - and spread their germs. Pillocks.

That doesn't even start to cover the many many second home owners and holiday makers, all of whom we can spot from a mile off because everyone knows everyone round here.

I don't go out because I'm high risk and having these idiots here makes it too dangerous for me.

Littlebean0506 · 09/04/2020 22:13

Me and my partner also had the same conversation tonight. We live in Devon and guarantee that plenty of people will be trying their luck at coming here for the Easter weekend. Our local hospital has had 61 confirmed cases and I really don't want to see a huge rise in two weeks

megletthesecond · 09/04/2020 22:15

We should be in Devon with family this week. We're not and it's bloody horrible, we won't see them for months.
My family are isolating brilliantly. I will be on the war path if the Easter break sends CV rates through the roof and puts them at risk.

FlockofGulls · 09/04/2020 22:15

I heard that police were stopping people on the road to Exmouth. But I don’t suppose there are many second homes or people going on holiday there ( for the record, I like Exmouth).

Becca19962014 · 09/04/2020 22:15

lama I had a medical professional have a proper go at me for attending my medical appointment three weeks ago. Being selfish, putting them at risk of death etc etc.

Three weeks before they had been on holiday in Italy and no they didn't isolate as it was "a fuss about nothing" came straight back to seeing patients (they saw me the following day) telling me it was nothing despite my soecialist having written and said I must shield immediately and wouldn't be eligible for a ventilator, yet they sat in a room with me, virtually housebound been no more than a mile from my door in years, saying I'd put everyone's life at risk by going to my appointment and would everytime I went out for anything.

No mention of the risk they put people in. Nor the risk their colleagues put people in who did similar things disappearing for breaks all over Europe in February half term again making open jokes about people being "paranoid". And when I mentioned the assessor in the local council for vulnerable people who did exactly the same thing I got a mouthful for being unfair expecting them to work for nothing - I'm sure that's great comfort to those who died because they assessed them taking covid-19 into their homes - our council care facilities closed that day indefinitely because of them going there all the time.

The thousands of tourists who turned up a few weeks ago? Nope didn't blame them either.

I left that appointment in tears, devastated at being blamed. Even now I find myself feeling guilty everytime I need to get food or medication.

Yes, I blame idiot tourists. They know the situation. Everyone does. They are ignoring what they are doing, not giving a damn and they are spreading it right now. They expect to be able to get medications from our pharmacy which is still lacking from the other idiots weeks ago and being turned away and told to go home. Our GP surgeries have banned temporary registration indefinitely now.

We have few cases compared to elsewhere, however, those cases have filled the hospital to capacity already.