Dennis beach trashed after thousands crowd shore on July 4th
DENNIS - Huge Fourth of July crowds left behind a major mess on one Cape Cod beach.
Police said public works crews and volunteers cleaned up an "extraordinary amount of trash" on Mayflower Beach in Dennis that included broken coolers, broken glass, cans, towels, clothes, shoes and beach chairs.
"For the second Fourth of July holiday in a row, thousands of late-teen and early-20's groups arrived at dawn and set up on the beach," Dennis police said.
Entry to Mayflower Beach and surrounding beaches was closed at about 2:40 p.m. due to overcrowding that was unsafe and caused bathhouse facilities to fail, police said. Officers made "a number of arrests" and seized alcohol.
"Over time, the crowds became rowdier and more aggressive, requiring more police intervention in the crowds," police said.
The department said they had stepped up police presence in the area after similar crowd problems last year, but the many groups of 100+ that filled the beach were "no longer manageable."
