HEAVY rain and strong winds battered Dorset today causing coastal flooding and disruption for motorists.
And flood alerts have been issued for coastal areas this evening as more strong winds are expected to hit during high tide.

Follow live updates on the flooding, traffic and weather here


Some of the worst affected areas were Christchurch Quay and Sandbanks, which were both flooded as high tide saw water overtop the harbourside this morning.
Gemma Butler, manager at the Old Mill Tearooms in Christchurch Quay, said businesses were preparing for further flooding by laying out sandbags.
She said: "It really depends on what the weather is doing, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
"We are wise to it now after last year. This is the month."

The exhibition at Place Mill in Christchurch was also closed due to flooding.

Bournemouth Echo:

Water was also seen coming over the sea wall at Sandbanks in Poole.

Highways teams from Bournemouth Borough Council were called out following reports of flooding on some roads.
A spokesman from the council said he was unable to say how many roads or which roads were affected.
“We have had a few reports of flooded roads,” he said.
“Where we have attended, we are working to alleviate the problems as quickly as possible.”

Poole experienced “minor flooding issues” during today’s heavy rain, but they all caused minimum disruption, says Borough of Poole.
Flooding happened at Shore Road, Upton Road, Parkstone Road and Blandford Road, but there have been no reports of fallen trees.
Barry Sparkes, Streetscene team manager, Borough of Poole, said: “Poole experienced some minor flooding issues but these were resolved fairly quickly and caused minimal disruption to residents. With further rain expected in the next few days we would encourage people to drive with extra care and allow additional time for journeys.”

Condor cancelled all ferry sailings between Weymouth, Guernsey and Jersey due to the weather conditions.
A fallen tree partially blocked the A338 Salisbury Road between Ringwood and Fordingbridge in both directions.
Friday's forecast says there will be a mix of sunshine and scattered showers which may be heavy with a risk of hail and thunder and could merge to become prolonged in places.