26/05/2026
A quick update following today’s booking issues.
Firstly, thank you for your patience. We appreciate that this has been frustrating for visitors and understandably concerning for local residents worried about traffic and congestion.
The issue relates to a problem with a third-party booking platform, which affected online bookings. We know that when systems fail, it reflects on us and creates uncertainty for everyone.
A number of comments have highlighted the wider challenge we manage every busy summer and Bank Holiday period: balancing public access to a very popular beach with the realities of local roads, safety, environmental protection and the day-to-day lives of residents.
For context, visitor management and pre-booking systems were introduced to improve certainty, help manage traffic, reduce unnecessary journeys and provide a better experience for visitors and the local community. They are not perfect, but they exist for good reasons.
West Wittering Beach remains open, and we continue to actively manage site capacity, traffic flow and operations on the ground. Visitors with confirmed bookings remain fully valid.
Running one of the South Coast’s busiest beaches involves a significant amount of behind-the-scenes work, from lifeguards, safety management and cleaning to traffic management, environmental stewardship and maintaining facilities for everyone who visits.
We genuinely care about getting this right. We are working with our provider to resolve the technical issue as quickly as possible, and we will continue to keep people updated.
Thank you again to our visitors, local residents and staff for your patience and understanding.
