RESIDENTS of Dorset were treated to a special weather event last night as a rare pink rainbow formed in the sky.

The unusual weather phenomenon could be seen across the county on Monday night as the sun set.

Jack Hilton managed to get a picture from Trinity Street in Dorchester at about 8.30pm

He said the rainbow "looked like something from a sci-fi film".

Angela Taylor captured the rainbow above Marie Road in Dorchester.

She said: "It was absolutely beautiful. I'm so glad I got to finish work early."

Rainbows that appear at sunrise and sunset appear pink because the sun is lower in the sky.

The optical illusion is caused when the colours at the red end of the spectrum are the only ones to be refracted – making the rainbow appear pink.