Scituate is temporarily shutting down a public beach to deter unruly Fourth of July partyers.

Humarock Beach will be closed Monday evening starting at 4:30 p.m. to end what the town's police say is a "historical cycle of drinking and disorder" in the area.

A post from the department's Facebook page blames crowds of "teenagers and young adults" for causing problems in the past.

Police said any drinking, fighting or fireworks in the area should be reported to the department.

The decision has drawn dozens of angry comments protesting the decision on social media.

Police say the beach will reopen at sunrise on the Fourth of July.

Correction: An earlier version of this post contained a Flickr image of Brant Rock Beach in Marshfield mistakenly identified as Humarock Beach in Scituate. We've removed the photo and regret the error.