Good weather is expected over the Easter weekend but Matt Hancock urges people not to visit their local park or beach

This article is more than 5 months old

This article is more than 5 months old

Britons have been urged to resist visiting their local beach or park over the Easter weekend as temperatures were expected to soar to 26C in some areas.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said the Easter weekend will be a “test of the nation’s resolve” as he issued another warning to the public to “stay at home” amid the coronavirus crisis.

The Met Office said London could see highs of 25C or 26C, while much of England and Wales was expected to record temperatures of 18C to 24C.

UK police’s response to lockdown faces biggest test yet over Easter Read more

Speaking at the daily press conference about the importance of keeping to the lockdown rules, Hancock said: “This is a national effort, and every single person in this country can play their part in this plan.

“This Easter will be another test of the nation’s resolve. It’s a time of year when people normally come together.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A deserted MI near Leicester on Friday. Photograph: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

“But however warm the weather, however tempting your local beach or park, we need everyone to stay at home.

“Because in hospitals across the country, NHS staff are battling day and night to keep desperately sick people breathing, and they need you to stay at home.”

Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said coastal areas such as Brighton and Margate could see highs of 18C.

Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are likely to record temperatures of 15C to 18C, he said.

Police across Britain thanked the public for staying at home and away from beauty spots on Good Friday.

Patrols have been ramped up country-wide as councils warned that anyone embarking on an Easter getaway could expect to be turned away by police.

Visuals from location technology firm TomTom showed traffic in London, Manchester and Birmingham was significantly down on Thursday compared with the equivalent day in 2019.

UK scrambles for foreign-made ventilators ahead of coronavirus peak Read more

But police in Surrey said officers have responded to reports in the county of people continuing to ignore government restrictions to not gather in groups.

Police deployed a “sky talk” drone in Walton-on-Thames to break up a group of 30 people not abiding to social distancing regulations. The group left without officers having to take further action.

If required, the drone will direct large groups of people congregating in outdoor spaces to leave the area by playing a pre-recorded message of: “Attention this a police message. You are gathering in breach of government guidelines to stay at home in response to the coronavirus. You are putting lives at risk. Please disperse immediately and return home.”

Play Video 15:41 Life in lockdown: families on the brink – video

Superintendent Graham Barnett said:“We ask you to stay at home and protect the NHS to save lives.”

Across the UK, a multi-pronged policing response will include stopping caravans and those suspected of going to second homes, patrols of urban parks and rural beauty spots, as well as Ministry of Defence police boats engaging with people on beaches through loudspeakers.

Celebrities including the England rugby head coach, Eddie Jones, the TV presenter Emma Willis and the former boxer David Haye have been deployed as part of a government-sponsored social media campaign.

Men aged 18 to 35, who are among the most likely to be in breach of social distancing guidelines, are understood to be a particular focus of the campaign, which also targets the broader population.

Meanwhile, DIY enthusiasts were urged to take extra care over the Easter weekend to prevent putting “unnecessary” pressure on the NHS amid the coronavirus pandemic.

NHS England said there was normally an increase in hospital admissions during the bank holiday weekend involving DIY-related injuries as the warmer weather approaches. It has teamed up with Amazing Spaces television presenter George Clarke to issue advice for those carrying out home improvements.

Clarke, who hosts the home improvement show on Channel 4, said: “It’s fantastic that so many of us are keeping ourselves busy with DIY activities at home over the Easter weekend, which has always been the busiest DIY weekend of the year. But please, please, please be careful.”