DORSET residents – as well as those who love our beautiful county – are mourning the loss of one of our most famous traditions.

The beam from Portland's lighthouse will no longer sweep across the seas to warn off passing vessels.

The lantern which gave the beam its sweeping motion has been switched off in preparation for its removal.

Planned upgrade works are due to start at the Dorset landmark, with a new flashing LED light being installed.

The proposed upgrades were submitted in a planning application to the former Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and were approved last year.

Trinity House, the owners of the lighthouse, will remove the lantern optic from the Lantern Room at the top of the lighthouse and relocate it in the base of the tower.

They will also be removing the directional fog signal emitters from the lower tower window and installing an omni-directional fog signal on a retractable mounting bracket on the Lantern Gallery Walkway.

A spokesperson for Trinity House said: “A crane will be used in mid-October to lower the optic from the lantern down to the ground, before it will be moved into the tower base as a display piece for the enjoyment of visitors."