DORSET basked in the sunshine over the Easter holidays with the county enjoying a tourism boost thanks to the good weather.

After Dorset was battered by severe storms during the winter, sun seekers flocked to the coastline to lap up the spring sunshine.

The exception was Sunday which saw heavy rain put a dampener on some Easter events.

But the Easter holiday generally was a good start to the season and has led to hopes for a good summer.

Tourism and culture spokesman for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council Ian Bruce said: “Something we have noticed is that we are now enjoying the benefits of the Olympics because people saw us on the television and are now deciding to come down.

“The offering we have in Weymouth and Portland just gets better and better each year, and the individual businesses and hoteliers are now getting out there and promoting Weymouth and Portland.

“Even on Sunday, which was an awful day weather wise, people were still having a great time, especially at the Nothe Fort Pirate Day.

“It’s all good news for the town.

“Nothing succeeds like success and we have always found that if the town has a good Easter it looks promising for a good summer.”

Dave Abbott, from Napoli on the Beach kiosks on Weymouth Beach, said: “Bank Holiday Monday has been very good, as has the last fortnight during the school holidays.

“There are a lot of happy people about because the sun is out, and it bodes very well for the summer.

“I do like to talk to the customers, and the majority of people I have spoken to are here because they saw Weymouth during the Olympics and the coverage the town got during it.

“We had similar benefits during last summer, so it’s great for the town.”

Christine Saxton, manager at the Gloucester House bed and breakfast, said: “It has been a really, really good weekend, better than expected and certainly better than last year – the late Easter has certainly benefited us.

“The good weather has brought a lot of people out, and Saturday was the best day for us, we only had two rooms spare.

“It is so difficult to tell whether it will be a good summer, but we are optimistic this year is going to be good.”