WEATHERMEN have come under fire for getting their forecasts wrong and putting people off travelling to Dorset on day trips and short breaks.

With the last bank holiday looming before the Christmas break, Boscombe hotelier Debbie Utteridge said: "During recent weeks the national forecasts for Bournemouth have been bad when the weather here has actually been fine.

"Sometimes mornings can be cloudy but then the afternoons turn out to be lovely.

"It's very annoying because people planning to come down here at the last minute will have been put off by what they have heard on national weather forecasts.

"After a fantastic May, June and July, August has been the worst month of the summer so far and the poor weather reports certainly haven't helped.

"There haven't been as many people around and there are still vacancies for the bank holiday weekend.

"Hopefully those will be snapped up during the next couple of days - as long as we don't have an appalling weather forecast."

Met Office spokesman John Hammond said visitors to the South Coast this weekend could expect sunshine and some showers.

"It will be a mixed bag but I can confirm that the heatwave is well and truly over," he said.

"It must be remembered that July was a remarkable month and the hottest since our records began, so people got used to very high temperatures.

"Weather conditions at present are more like a normal English summer.

"It looks as if September is going to be changeable as well with rain showers at times but also drier brighter spells."

He added: "When we are predicting weather in somewhere like Dorset we have to warn of thunderstorms and rain even if they are not going to affect the entire county.

"Drivers particularly need to be aware of the dangers.

"Coastal towns can often experience very different weather to inland areas.

"If people would like a more specific forecast, perhaps for a particular resort, they should use the internet, which will give them a much more accurate picture for a smaller area."