By Victoria Friedman25 Mar 2020251
3:54

The government has told city dwellers to not break travel restrictions by going to their second homes, with coastal and rural communities becoming increasingly frustrated at being overrun by wealthy coronavirus refugees.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government laid out that Britons should remain in their “primary residence”, and not travel to their “second homes, camp sites, caravan parks or similar”. The guidance explained: “Not taking these steps puts additional pressure on communities and services that are already at risk.”

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove gave a stern warning to second-home owners on Sky News on Tuesday, saying in no uncertain terms should they be risking “spreading the virus across the country and nor should they risk putting a strain on the NHS in other parts of the country. The advice is clear: stay at home.”

However, The Times reports that second-homers from London continue to flood into rural and coastal areas, including to Wales, Cornwall, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Scotland, despite the travel restrictions.

This has led to many locals calling for tighter restrictions to keep them safe. Twenty-seven miles outside of the popular tourist destination of Conwy, one resident had strung a banner under a road sign reading: “Wales is closed.”

The town’s tourism board is also urging visitors to stay away, with their website banner reading: “Visit Conwy. Later.”