People have been urged to stay away from north Norfolk’s beaches and country parks over the Christmas week as coronavirus cases continue to climb.
The warning comes amid reports of some second home owners heading to the district for the holidays, despite government advice to ‘stay local’ and avoid unnecessary travel.
Sarah Bütikofer, North Norfolk District Council leader, said she did not want to ruin anyone’s Christmas or be a “spoil sport”, but people should think of the potential consequences of travelling around the county.
Mrs Bütikofer said: “I know it’s very tempting to go for a walk on the beach over the Christmas period and we have lovely parks.
"But please be careful, please follow the advice and stay local, because the virus is spreading faster in other parts of Norfolk.”
North Norfolk has the highest average age of any constituency in the UK, and the latest figures show it has reached 100 coronavirus cases per 100,000 for the first time.
Mrs Bütikofer said she had heard of some people traveling to north Norfolk for the Christmas break, which was “very disappointing”.
She said: “The prime minister did say people shouldn’t travel out of Tier 4 and that is the law, not just advice. We have been very fortunate so far in north Norfolk but with our demographic we have to do everything we can to keep it that way.”
Penny Jones, who runs Sheringham-based Crabpot Cottages letting agency, said they had cancelled all their bookings for November and December, costing tens of thousands of pounds.
She said there had been some people wanting to rent cottages over Christmas in spite of the restrictions.
She said: “(Sunday) night I had three requests from people saying ‘we need to get out of London, can we come for the weekend?’
“But we’re sticking to the rules - we had 34 bookings for Christmas and we’ve been through them all and cancelled every one, apart from one which was local.
“But the enquiries have tailed off now. I know a lot of second-home owners personally but I don’t know any who are coming up. But there’s always going to be somebody who will break the rules.”
Other businesses are dealing with the travel restriction and the tier system in different ways.
Ruby Meyers, who works at the Ship Inn at Weybourne, said they were asking customers to provide their postcode so staff could check if they were from an area where it was allowed to travel from.
She said: “We have had a lot of cancellations, so I think people are being cautious.”
The Grove hotel and restaurant in Cromer made the decision to close following the Tier 4 announcement.
Madeleine Ashcroft, Sheringham’s mayor, said she thought most people were following the rules, but urged them to keep being careful.
Mrs Ashcroft said: “As much as we would like to see visitors, it would be much better if we all stayed where we are.
“We’ve got programmes on television, church services and so on are broadcast, so there is nothing to stop people from having a religious Christmas at home if they want it.”
Mrs Ashcroft said her own son and daughter-in-law had planned to come to Sheringham for Christmas, but cancelled after the Tier 4 announcement.
“(The virus) affects everyone in every country around the world,” she said.
Duncan Baker, North Norfolk's MP, said he was "desperately concerned" about the spread of Covid-19 and urged people to follow the new government rules.
Mr Baker said: "The news, while disappointing, is entirely appropriate given the new strain of the virus which is spreading rapidly in parts of the East.
"It is absolutely right that we must take action to limit the spread of this new strain.
"I am desperately concerned that for the first time the rate of infection in North Norfolk has passed 100 cases per 100,000 people and I implore people to follow rules and those in Tiers 3 and 4 not to travel outside their own area."
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