THOUSANDS of visitors descended on Dorset to take advantage of the fantastic Bank Holiday weather.

Bournemouth Tourism said more than 60,000 people visited Bournemouth, adding the packed beach looked “more like a foreign resort” as temperatures reached around 23C.

Meanwhile, at West Lulworth, the number of cars parked along narrow village approach roads sparked safety concerns, as hundreds flocked to picturesque Lulworth Cove.

Cars lined the Winfrith Newburgh road making it impossible for emergency services vehicles to pass, should they need to.

Dorset County councillor Malcolm Shakesby, who also sits on the Dorset Fire Authority, said: “Hundreds of visitors come to this part of the coast and we have a number of thatched properties, as well as other properties equally as vulnerable.

“However, the fire auth-ority does have the right to move any vehicle that is obstructing access to a property where an emergency vehicle needs to attend.

“As a regular user of Lulworth Cove and the beaches and the sea, I can understand the problems that are starting to manifest themselves.

“It is fairly obvious, in the current financial climate, that people don’t want to spend their money on car parks and are finding alternatives.”

On Sunday, in Bourne-mouth, seaside car parks were full by mid-morning, all of the resort’s 3,000 deck-chairs were in use and around 90,000 ice-creams sold over the weekend.

Beverly White, resort pr manager for Bournemouth Tourism, said: “It’s probably been one of the busiest weekends this year. There were lots of people down the beach yesterday. I think the temperatures were the same as Tenerife and it looked like that.

“The beach was absolutely teeming with people. The hotels have also been busy this weekend and there were a lot of last minute bookings.”

Boscombe Spa Resort Hotels director Debbie Payne said: “We are really pleased. The resort was about three quarters full on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And the buzz down Boscombe beach was wonderful – it was just so busy.”

Rosemary McDonald, manager of Wimborne Tourism Information Centre, said there had been lots of enquiries with 543 people through the doors on Saturday alone.

She said: “We were pretty busy. Locals tend to come in first and choose where they are going to go and then later on we get visitors.

“One lady came in on Saturday and said it had taken her four hours to get down from London because of the traffic.”

A spokesperson at Christ-church TIC, said: “We are very busy in here and also the high street. Saturday was also very busy.”

Poole Tourist Information Centre also said it had been busy.

“It’s been busy because of the lovely weather. We’ve had lots of enquiries about day trips, boat trips and other tourist attractions of Poole. We have got the Quay and Poole Park so I think most people are going out rather than staying in,” said a TIC spokesperson.