A SCORCHING Tuesday brought throngs of sun-lovers to the beach so soak up the rays on the year's hottest day.

With the mercury creeping past 29 degrees, few could pass up the chance to unpack their swimming trunks and head down to Weymouth beach.

Hundreds sprawled across the sand from the Pavilion down to Bowleaze Cove in an almost unbroken arch.

In spite of children of school age having to wait until Friday to fully enjoy the sun, the beach was an undeniably popular spot for families to visit, a good omen for the coming months.

Nadine Sturmey, from Weymouth, came with her kids and friends to enjoy the sizzling sands and have a dip in the sea.

She said: “It’s really nice today.

“Coming to the beach is like a free day out, that doesn’t really cost anything and the kids really like it.

“It’s only my second day out to the beach this year.

“I remember last year we were out in April, the kids in their swim suits.

“This year, so far, it’s been too dismal to do that.”

Traders were breathing as sigh of relief as a drab early summer had proved a damper to business.

Kevin Good, beach manager for the Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, said: "Business is booming over the last few days.

"Let's hope this is the start of an excellent summer for Weymouth beach and for the town.

"It was a stuttering start but we hope this is a sign for the coming six weeks."

The staff behind the staple activities on Weymouth beach were also thrilled to see the sun arrive.

Nicole Palucsis at the Super Snails, a children's ride on the beach, said: "It's absolutely wonderful.

"The weather has been so nice the last few days and we're so lucky to finally have some sun.

"There were a lot of storms recently but now the weather is absolutely beautiful.

"It's so nice to see a lot of people on the beach today.

"It has been busy but I think the kids break up on Friday and obviously this is a kid's ride so it's only the people that take the time off or have very young kids.

"Around next week it will be really busy but it was definitely busier over the weekend."

Ice-cream stalls heaved with customers looking to cool off in the heat.

Dave Abbott, the manager at Napoli on the Beach, said: "It will get a lot busier next week that's for sure.

"Takings are starting to rise I think it's fair to say.

"The weather brings people out and puts everyone in a good mood - us included.

"I was born and bred here and its just lovely to see it vibrant.

"It's just fantastic. The best place in the world."

The heatwave is set to continue over the next week with temperatures expected to sit in the low twenties until at least next Tuesday.

Sunny weather will doubtless attract more families to the beach however the weekend, for many children the first day of school holidays, comes with a warning of showers.

James Garraway and Amy Abilia, from Malaysia, were visiting family with a holiday home in Weymouth.

Mr Garraway said: “This is a cold day for Malaysia. There it’s about 33 degrees every day.

“There’s a nice breeze and it’s a bit less humid than Malaysia.

“The weather has been really nice since we got here.

“We’ve missed all of the terrible weather and can’t really imagine it.”

Samantha Letters came with her husband Mark Connolly and their daughter Katie Connolly from London to enjoy the beach at Weymouth.

She said: “We’re staying in Sutton Poyntz where we tend to visit about once every two years.

“We just arrived on Sunday and it’s been lovely.”

Katie, their daughter, said that she liked the Snail Ride, the donkey ride, sand castles and playing in the sea.

Dr Letters added: “Between visits, she talks about the Snail Ride, the super slow snails.

“We also come because it’s safe. You can go into the water, walk out and you’ve gone all that way but it’s still only up to your knees.

“The first year we came with Katie was in 2012 when the Olympics was on.

“There’s always something to do, whether it be going to Abbotsbury or fossilling in Lyme Regis, even if the weather’s not great.”

Sam Trippick came from Somerset with her two children.

She said: “We’re here on a day trip – it’s about ninety minutes on the train.

“This is our second time to Weymouth this year. We went to the Sea Life Centre first time.

“It’s just the nicest beach close to us.

“The kids have been in the sea and are really enjoying it.

“It’s quite common for people from Somerset to come and visit Dorset on a day out.”

Edward Key and Sarah Wigelsworth from Derbyshire said: “We went to Exeter first on our holiday to visit friends.

“We’ve been to Weymouth before, in 2012 when the Olympics were on and all the sailors were walking past with their team outfits on.

“Before that, I came as a girl with my mum and dad caravanning.

“We like the marina and the beach is lively.

“We’re sensible with the sun – we didn’t sit through lunch and went on a walk.

“We live in a really beautiful part of the country but we don’t get the sea.”

Zebedee Devey-Waterhouse came with friends from Frome, Somerset.

He said: “It took about 90 minutes to get here by train.

“We’re all at university now, but we’re back at home for summer.

“It was a spur of the moment thing, we decided to come down to the beach yesterday, came this morning and we’ll go back about 5pm.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be quite this busy.

“The train over was packed and we had to stand up the whole way. But it’s worth it in the end.”