This Can't Go On..

Resorts packed despite warnings of danger to lives 18-year-old is youngest killed by virus in England

- Pippa Crerar, Lucy Thornton, Graham Hiscott, Martin Fricker And Andy Lines

Weekend crowds endangered lives as they filled parks, beaches, garden centres and supermarkets despite pleas to stay home to stop the spread of coronavirus.

It came as an 18-year-old became the youngest in England to die from the virus.

The teenager was among 37 deaths in England yesterday, all in vulnerable groups including people with underlying health conditions.

Yet as the UK’s death toll hit 244 and confirmed cases topped 5,000, sunseekers crowded popular spots despite terrifying warnings of the consequences to society’s most vulnerable and an already struggling NHS.

Police bosses had to warn people to stay away from beauty spots such as the Lake District, telling them: “This is not a holiday.”

Boris Johnson threatened to shut parks and impose a curfew if people fail to follow social distancing advice. The Prime Minister said: “If people don’t do that, then yes of course we’re going to have to bring in tougher measures.”

He added: “We’ll think about this very actively in the next 24 hours. We need to think about the kind of measures we’ve seen elsewhere – other countries that have been forced to bring in restrictions on people’s movements altogether.”

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick warned: “We don’t want to go down that route. But this isn’t a game; this is very serious.”