A police car was damaged and officers were verbally abused after responding to reports of rowdy behaviour at Weymouth seafront, a court heard.

Police were called to Brunswick Terrace on July 22 after receiving reports that a group of men and teenagers were causing concern to the public.

Prosecutor Giles Nightingale told Weymouth Magistrates Court that on arriving at around 5.45pm, an officer saw Joseph Connors, 32, "drunk" and holding a half-empty glass of beer.

Officers failed to interact with Connors and the rest of the group who were acting with "aggression."

"The glass was pulled away and put in the bin," Mr Nightingale said. "This made the defendant angry and he accused the officer of 'robbing him'.

"The matter deteriorated because one of the young people assaulted one of the officers.

"There was a struggle...and a police van was requested."

Connors calmed down before the van arrived and was put into an ordinary police car, but he "became much more aggressive while sitting in the back," the court heard.

Magistrates heard Connors kicked through the seats and cracked the plastic police console. At Weymouth police station, he continued shouting and being abusive towards a female police officer.

Lee Christmas, mitigating, said the married father-of-eight made a "full and frank confession" the following morning and was "shocked" and "upset" by his drunken behaviour.

Appearing at Weymouth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Connors, of Commercial Street in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, pleaded guilty to threatening and abusive behaviour and causing criminal damage to a police car.

He was fined £110 for both offences and ordered to pay a further £100 in compensation for the damage caused to the police car.

Chairman of the bench, Robert Ford, said: "Officers were going about their normal duty and they didn't deserve to be abused in that way by someone who was drunk and out of control."