YOU would have thought a bevy of bikini-clad women would be an easy thing to muster in an English seaside resort.

But a bid to set a new world record for the number of women being photographed in bikinis in one place failed after only 42 of the required 1,924 turned up.

The disappointing turnout in Southend-on-Sea on the weekend was thought to be down to a poor weather forecast even though the sun shone. But it did attract a woman in her 80s to the sands.

Organisers had hoped to beat the world record of 1,923 achieved by Russia last year, but the Essex girls didn’t even break the UK record of 320.

It begs the question: Could we beat the record in Bournemouth?

According to Chris Saunders, Bournemouth Seafront & Business Development Manager, it is entirely possible.

“I’m confident that on a sunny day, there are many more people wearing bikinis in Bournemouth than the existing record.

“On a bank holiday, it’s not unusual to have 100,000 people on our beach. Assuming half of them are women, and taking children out of the equation, that easily leaves 25,000 females potentially wearing bikinis.

“All you’d have to do is send a helicopter up to take a photo of the whole beach, and the record is set.”

Chris added that if it was staged as an official event, the relevant insurance, risk assessments and the like would have to be put in place.

“But I think it would be a fairly popular event,” he concluded.