THE Met Office has forecast periods of heavy rain and strong winds across Purbeck today.

This rain will turn milder into the afternoon, but gales are expected to strengthen around exposed coasts and hills.

Condor Ferries is running a reduced cross Channel service today due to the rough sea conditions.

A spokesman explained: "There is expected to be a brief break in the weather early on Saturday morning, before it picks up again.

"Because this weather break may not be long enough for a full rotation, we plan to run an additional cross channel service on Saturday morning to Guernsey only.

"Condor Rapide will therefore be rerouted to provide a link for passengers travelling to and from Jersey.

"Regrettably, this means we must cancel day trips from Jersey to St Malo for Saturday.

"We will continue to monitor the weather very closely with regard to any possible changes to this service and regular updates will be provided via social media."