Crowds head to beaches and parks despite Boris Johnson's pleas for people to stay home during lockdown

CROWDS have headed to beaches and parks today despite Boris Johnson's pleas for people to stay at home during the lockdown.

Brits made the most of their first weekend in the new lockdown and wandered outside for their permitted daily exercise.

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Hyde Park in London was heaving with families on their daily walks this afternoon, while Covid marshals patrolled along Brighton's seafront.

Despite the tough lockdown restrictions, Brits are still allowed to exercise outdoors once a day.

But the Prime Minister has urged people to stay at home as much as possible as the mutant strain of coronavirus rips through the country.

With many people in city centres like London living without access to gardens, taking a walk in a local park is the only lockdown respite.

Today, people wrapped up in hats and scarves, braving the winter weather to have their Sunday stroll.

During the new Covid lockdown, you are allowed to exercise on your own, with one other person, or within your household or support bubble.

But the Government has advised people to only exercise within their local area – and to not travel far from their homes.

Rules also say that you should limit your exercise to once a day.

You are allowed to exercise in outdoor places including parks, beaches, forests, public gardens, heritage sites, and playgrounds.

Yesterday, a woman was arrested "for sitting on a bench" after cops were told to fine rule-breakers £200 following just one verbal warning.

New guidance has been issued to chief constables as part of a tough new crackdown on coronavirus lockdown flouters.

Footage emerged showing three cops surrounding a woman for allegedly leaving her home more than once in the same day.

Meanwhile, four officers appeared to arrest a woman who claimed she was just "sitting on a bench" on the same seafront.

She was placed in handcuffs and led away from the scene.

Meanwhile, every adult is on course to get the Covid vaccine by autumn with 200,000 Brits already getting jabbed each day, Matt Hancock said today.

The Health Secretary unveiled the UK's "exit strategy" out of the pandemic and revealed 350million doses of the vaccine are on order.

And he said he hopes every adult will have received the jab by autumn this year as part of the biggest vaccination programme ever.

But he refused to speculate on whether the lockdown rules could be strengthened amid claims from scientists they are "too lax" in stopping the spread.

Scientists believe the measures do not go far enough to stop cases exploding and are instead calling for a "total clampdown".

They say nurseries should be closed as well as places of worship with it made compulsory to wear face masks in public.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has also led calls for face coverings to be worn outside the home as he declared a major incident in the capital.

Covid cases today jumped by more than 50,000 for the 13th day in a row as deaths rose by 563 – pushing the total number of victims to more than 81,000.

There are now 3,072,349 people infected with the disease in the UK after 54,950 tested positive.

Deaths have continued to rise with the latest toll pushing the total number to 81,431.

Today's figure is the third-highest Sunday rise in deaths and there is a usually a lag in reporting at the weekend.