DORSET had enough rain for more than two Augusts last month – and almost all of it fell in one fortnight.

But tourism bosses in Bournemouth insist the resort had some of its busiest days as well as washouts.

Bad weather dominated the second half of the month, with only one dry day.

There was no flying on the first day of Bournemouth Air Festival and the bank holiday weekend was mainly gloomy.

Meteorology enthusiast Jim Smith, who has a weather station at his Springbourne home, said: “This August, we had 115mm rainfall – or 224 per cent of normal.

“What makes this figure even more remarkable is that up to August 18, only 10mm fell – so from August 19 until the end of the month, we got two August’s worth, with only August 21 being completely dry.”

Bournemouth’s director of tourism, Mark Smith, said: “We’ve certainly suffered some pretty miserable weather at the end of this summer but we’ve also had some beautiful days and when the sun has come out to play. Our residents and visitors have too.

“During August, we saw some of our busiest days ever – with large numbers of people using the seafront car parks, hiring deckchairs and using the catering outlets on the prom. On one occasion, the mini golf in the Lower Gardens had to stay open until midnight to cope with demand.

“Changeable summers are becoming a common occurrence so we are very fortunate in Bournemouth to have such a wide variety of indoor attractions.”

Despite the inordinately wet weather, hotels in the area reported they were fully booked last month.

David Howes, deputy manager of Sandbanks Hotel, said the hotel was full throughout the summer. “If the rooms had been completely empty, it would have been an issue, but that wasn’t the case for us. 

"We did have some check out early because of the weather but as soon as they’d left, the rooms had been filled again. 

“The only area that suffered was food and drink sales on our terrace, which were down 15 per cent,” he added.

Former president of the Bournemouth Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Mandy Payne added businesses in the town had been “healthy in the rain and sunshine”.

She said: “Rainy days are not always bad for business. If you take the Bournemouth Air Festival, Thursday morning was the best trading day for the town as the rain brought people in to shops and restaurants.”