COMMERICIAL use of fields along West Bay Road at Bridport is escalating out of control, a town councillor has complained.

Wall-to-wall caravans, a funfair that runs for weeks and daily car boot sales were putting pressure on a beautiful and sensitive piece of countryside, Coun Tony Fifield told the plans committee on Monday.

He said the fields were part of a nature conservation site and in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Yet a camping and caravan overflow site designed to take up to 28 vans for a maximum four weeks each summer was now starting filling up at the beginning of July.

"And they were still there today," he said. "I counted 50 caravans in one field and 40 in another."

Car boot sales were also spiralling out of control - taking place regularly for three days every week. And one week recently there were five held daily between 8am and 4pm.

The funfair, supposedly limited to a 28-day visit to the Bay each year, had already been there for some 60 days this year, he claimed.

"The door is being pushed and pushed," he said. "We need to investigate exactly what the restrictions are on the camping, car boots sales, funfair and circuses so we can find out some mechanism to control this."

Coun leader Charles Wild agreed it was a matter of concern and said they should write to the district council's development services manger Mr John Greenslade and ask him for details about exactly what was allowed to take place on the land. The committee agreed to this.