Police give traffic and water safety advice ahead of Walsingham Tamil pilgrimage this weekend
With thousands of people from all over the country set to descend on Walsingham this weekend, police have warned that roads are set to be congested.
Walsingham’s second bi-annual Tamil pilgrimage takes place on Sunday - with officers set to be on hand to provide reassurance, advice, and support.
Road users have been reminded that there is likely to be heavy traffic as people travel to and from the shrine and head to local beaches.
Routes to the pilgrimage will be clearly marked and roads into Walsingham along the A1065 and A148 towards Fakenham, and the B1105 towards Wells, are likely to be congested.
Those not attending the pilgrimage are advised to avoid the area and find alternative routes.
For safety purposes, people are also being asked to be mindful of tide times. The high tide on Wells beach on Sunday will be just after midday at about 12.20pm.
Hundreds of leaflets have been printed in collaboration with the Wells RNLI water safety manager containing written warnings about beach safety and the tides in Tamil.
The advice is that people stay well away from any channels or creeks that could fill with water behind them up to four hours before high tide hits.
Beachgoers should return to the main beach on Sunday before 8.20am and, as a reminder, a siren will sound around four hours before high tide.
Insp James Makepeace said: “Officers have been working with various agencies and organisers in the run-up to the day when we will have a visible presence working to keep people safe.
“We are expecting thousands of people in Walsingham for what is one of the highlights in the Tamil community’s calendar."
Reporting by Olivia Lawson