Tourists have been warned to book before they travel following reports that campsites in Cornwall are now full for the season.

Visit Cornwall chief executive Malcolm Bell said that campsites were fully booked and that anyone coming to Cornwall without a booking was unlikely to find accommodation.

However he stressed that while the campsites are fully booked they are not operating at full capacity to ensure they can follow social distancing guidelines.

Mr Bell said: “We want to reinforce the need for social distancing for people when they are out and about and how important it is.

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“Campsites are booked up but we have the likes of Hendra (in Newquay) which is operating at 60 per cent of normal capacity due to the guidelines.

“There have been the odd cancellations where people have been able to get spaces but people coming down here should not expect to be able to find a space easily if they haven’t booked.

“The message remains to people to plan ahead and book before coming to Cornwall – many campsites are not holding waiting lists either – it’s important to book ahead.”

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Mr Bell said that the feedback he had from campsites and other tourism businesses was that “90 per cent of people are behaving themselves” but stressed that people who were not following guidelines included locals as well as tourists.

He said: “It is based on age, with locals and visitors - with those below 30 in particular who are not following the guidelines. You see some groups and think ‘that must be a big family’ as you see six children or more of a similar age.”

However the Visit Cornwall chief said that most people were following the guidelines around social distancing and said that there had been a surge in windbreak sales as families build encampments on beaches to enforce social distancing.

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He said: “One of the things that would really help us right now is to have lower tides – when the tide is low there is much more beach space and that would help.

“The one thing I have noticed is the sale of windbreaks has gone through the roof. People are setting up their space using multiple windbreaks which is definitely not a bad thing, it is a good way of keeping social distancing.

“It is good to see these little encampments appearing on the beach and people respecting each other’s space.”