THOUSANDS of people flocked to Weymouth harbourside as the Pommery Dorset Seafood festival got off to a fin-tastic start.

Crowds soaked up the sun as they lined the roads and descended on the local bars to sample the best seafood delights on offer.

The weekend-long event looks set to break previous record attendances, with around 30,000 people attending today and festival bosses expect another estimated 25,000 people to attend on Sunday.

Anna Wallis, one of the festival’s organisers, said: “It feels busier than normal. We would normally expect to have around 50,000 people but we think this year we have reached and exceeded that.

“South West Trains said that around 1,000 people an hour were coming off the train from the London line, which is extraordinary.

“We have also noticed an increase in luxury yachts and sailing craft berthing in the harbour, which just looks stunning.

“People are coming from all over to this festival, and it’s great to see.

“The general consensus from stallholders is that they have been incredibly busy, and we have also had some great feedback from social media which shows we are getting it right.

“All of our sponsors are very, very happy and I would just like to thank them for all their support.”

Chris Barber, Jack Knight, Jodie Lumb, Bea Sinclair and Declan Cargill, pictured, are all from Weymouth and were attending the festival for the second year in a row.

Jodie said: “We love it, it’s just great. I tried an oyster for the first time which was an experience!”

Jack added: “We got here about midday and it’s brilliant and the selection of different seafood is superb.”

Bill, Maureen, Ali, Malc, Steve and John, all from Bedford, were attending the festival for the first time.

Steve, who was also celebrating his 40th birthday, said: “We came down here for the festival, and it is great.

“We are all having a very, very good time.”