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The challenge

The Eastbourne Air Show is the UK’s largest, free air show. The event takes place across 4 days every August and includes Battle of Britain memorial flights as well as highly anticipated displays from the world famous, Red Arrows. Spectators gather along Eastbourne’s sea front and the famous pier to watch the displays and to enjoy the annual festivities. With over a million people attending across the four-day show, the event causes a crowded space for the duration of the show.

With food trucks, family entertainment stalls and goods needing to be delivered prior to the show, the area can only be secured and sealed off to protect pedestrians right at the last minute requiring security measures to be temporary, flexible and pedestrian permeable.

 

The hard facts

  • Eastbourne Air Show is the largest, free air show in the UK.
  • The event takes place across four days every August and attracts over one million visitors each year.
  • Hardstaff provided ATG Access Surface Guard Barriers to protect the crowds at this event and supplied a vehicle access unit to allow emergency service vehicles entry in an emergency.
  • The barriers were installed in three locations along the sea front and in-front of the famous Eastbourne Pier to protect crowds of pedestrians from a targeted or accidental vehicle as a weapon attack.
  • ATG Access Surface Guard Barrier is a tested solution recognised by the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), is quick to install and is pedestrian permeable making this solution ideal for
    crowded spaces.

 

The solution

As a multi award-winning manufacturer and supplier of protective barriers, East Sussex County Council contacted Hardstaff Barriers for assistance. Hardstaff provided ATG Access Surface Guard Barriers to supplement the National Barrier Asset which were installed in three locations to restrict vehicle access to the seafront and to protect the crowds of spectators attending the event. These HVM barriers are surface mounted, quick to deploy and pedestrian permeable.

One of the entrance configurations were supplied with a vehicle access unit to allow emergency service vehicles through the system should an emergency occur. Hardstaff Barriers supplied and installed all configurations as well as providing training to staff on use of the emergency vehicle access point.

 

The outcome

The deployment of this lightweight solution made a substantial saving to the event organisers in transport costs and deployment time.