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Britons are being urged to avoid beaches, national parks and other holiday destinations in the UK, with officials warning the coronavirus outbreak is "not an excuse for a holiday".

Tourist hotspots continued to draw huge crowds on Saturday, despite the Government warning Britons against all non-essential travel and encouraging people to adopt social distancing amid the worsening Covid-19 crisis.

Pictures on social media on Saturday showed busy scenes across the country, including a full main car park at Snowdon. Locals also told of an influx of visitors to seaside resorts such as Skegness, with one describing scenes at the beach as "business as usual".

Cumbria Police said on Saturday that the Lake District and other tourist attractions were experiencing an “influx” of visitors. The force has now urged people from outside its county to keep away, saying the Lake District is “no longer conducting business as usual”, with pubs, restaurants and attractions advised to close.

“Whilst we are looking at all measures to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, I must urge people living outside the county not to visit,” Cumbria Police’s assistant chief constable Andrew Slattery said in a statement.

"A national emergency shut-down of businesses and schools is not an excuse for a holiday.”

Thousands have also flocked to the seaside town of Skegness, Lincolnshire, in spite of official guidance to stay at home

In a video posted on Facebook, Skegness dentist Dr Mitchell Clark also urged local businesses to close shops and called for caravan parks to be closed.

He said he was “appalled” to see his town “looking like it does on a busy summer day” as he drove home from walking his dog along a deserted section of beach.

He said local business owners were acting like "nothing had happened". “I view these actions as massively, massively socially irresponsible. I personally think that those involved should be ashamed of themselves,” he said.

"People are treating this as if it's a holiday. It's not - it's not a holiday."

West Wittering Beach in Chichester, south east England, closed to the public on Saturday after the number of visitors “far exceeded” expectations, the estate owners said.

Pictures also show full car parks in Snowdonia National Park, with the North Wales Mountain Rescue Association later raising serious concerns about walkers taking to mountains, sparking unnecessary call-outs for them.

Snowdonia National Park Authority said its area "experienced its busiest ever visitor day in living memory" on Saturday.

Chief executive Emyr Williams said: "The area has been overwhelmed with visitors.

"More worrying still is the significant crowding on the mountain summits and trails making it impossible to maintain effective social distancing."

The Visit Cornwall tourist board published a statement on Friday asking people to postpone their visits to a later date “despite the lack of clarity from Government” around the situation.

Meanwhile, the National Trust closed its parks and gardens as of midnight on Saturday night, in fear of crowds attending them on Sunday for Mother’s Day.

The decision to close its parks and gardens followed the shuttering of houses, cafes and shops belonging to the charity earlier this week.

But following Boris Johnson’s announcement on Friday that all pubs, clubs and restaurants would be closed , the Trust has ramped up precautions.

Director general Hilary McGrady said: “Despite our desire to keep our outdoor spaces open, the health and wellbeing of our staff, volunteers and visitors has to be our top priority.

“Having observed the numbers visiting our properties today I am no longer convinced we can maintain social distancing over Mother’s Day when numbers are likely to grow, and beyond.”

Ms McGrady added the Trust would be taking measures to ensure that people did not lose their connection with nature, and that sites of natural beauty remained open “virtually”.

“We know that people are likely to need space and fresh air in the coming weeks and months and we will do all we can to provide access wherever possible,” she said.

“Over the coming weeks our digital platforms – our website, social media feeds, podcasts and video – will become even more important, ensuring the places of nature, beauty and history that we care for on behalf of the nation can remain open for business virtually while we are temporarily closed.

“We will also be ramping up our efforts to help people connect with nature wherever they are and to find moments of joy in the world around them.”

On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close in a bid to impact the infection rate by reducing “unnecessary” social gatherings by 75 per cent.