The charity dragon boat race scheduled to take place in Weymouth today has been cancelled.

Organisers say the wet weather forecast means they have had to call off the event. Organiser Bob Parkes from Melcombe Regis Rotary Club said he is 'bitterly disappointed' and that it is a 'great shame.'

He explained: "We have had to cancel the event because of the wet weather forecast which is a great shame because we had 10 teams set to take part.

"This summer has been the best one since 1966, so everyone is very disappointed. But as you know Weymouth has its own micro-climate."

A full day of dragon boat racing had been organised with teams set to compete in heats, semi-finals and a grand final.

Last year's event saw teams setting their boats up at the Pavilion end of the beach before powering across Weymouth Bay, in a bid to raise as much money as possible for charity.