Visitors return to West Wittering beach.Visitors return to West Wittering beach.
Visitors return to West Wittering beach.

Popular West Sussex beach reopens with restrictions on visitor numbers – in pictures

Sun-seekers returned to a popular West Sussex beach today for the first time since the lockdown was introduced in March.

Visitor numbers at West Wittering beach have been limited in order to ensure that social distancing guidelines can be adhered to. All visitors will have to pre-pay for parking using the app, JustPark, with the car park operating at just 20 per cent of its usual capacity. Anyone without a pre-booked parking ticket should not visit the beach, as there is no other parking in the village. James Crespi, Chief Operating Officer at West Wittering Estate, said: “It’s the only way we can control the numbers here at the beach. Obviously there is a very, very high demand. Our real key message is for people not to come if they don’t have a ticket. They will be turned away. There is no parking in the surrounding village. We feel we desperately need people to think twice before coming.” The beach welcomed its first visitors today, with all parking slots already fully booked until Friday. Photos from the beach car park show signs were in place to warn people that tickets were already fully booked for the day. But Mr Crespi said: “The real test is whether people who haven’t booked stay away. We have gone to extensive efforts to get the message out there. It’s something we will keep under constant review.” Read more about the new system in place at the beach here.