FLOODING and bad weather caused upheaval in parts of the county over the weekend.

Huge tailbacks gave drivers a headache on a major route into south Dorset, with long delays on the A35 Puddletown Bypass.

Traffic jams caused queues in both directions along the route between Two Droves (Troytown) and B3150 Stinsford Hill due to flooding near the end of the dual carriageway. Drivers were warned to approach the road with care throughout most of Saturday.

Meanwhile the coastguard was called to a west Dorset caravan park amid fears of flood risk to people and property.

The alarm was raised by a caravan occupant who was concerned about rough seas and bad weather at Freshwater Beach Holiday Park at Burton Bradstock.

Officers from the West Bay Coastguard Rescue Team attended the scene and swiftly carried out an investigation to assess the risk. They were alerted to the situation by the Solent Coastguard NMOC (National Maritime Operations Centre) on Friday evening.

"Officers quickly responded to the coastguard station in West Bay, collected their equipment and vehicle then made their way to Freshwater Holiday Park," a spokesman for the coastguard said.

"Although the sea state was rough and weather conditions were poor, the tide was receding and posed no immediate risk to persons or property."

"Officers spoke with the resident to give reassurance, and with the parks management happy, the team was stood down to return to station."

Between four to eight inches of rain are forecast to have fallen around Weymouth and Dorchester on Saturday afternoon, and during the morning a flood alert was issued for the whole of the west Dorset coast by the Environment Agency (EA).

The EA predicted a possibility of flooding at West Bay, Bothenhampton, Burton Freshwater, Burton Bradstock, Cogden Beach, Chesil Beach, Seatown, West Fleet, East Fleet, Lyme Regis, and Charmouth, with alerts in place for West Bay and the River Brit and a flood warning issued for Lyme Regis.

According to the Met office the rainy spell is over for now - from today until Wednesday things are looking drier, with plenty of sunshine during the day.

Temperatures will be colder however, with overnight frosts likely.

More rain may arrive late Wednesday.