Social media has been blamed for crowds of young people from across the country descending on Durdle Door.

Cllr Laura Miller, who has sworn at and spat at by visitors this week, said the vast majority of beach-goers during this week's heatwave have been young people, who most likely spotted the Dorset beauty spot on the social networking app Snapchat.

She said: "It's groups of young lads. I hate to say it but it's different people coming down. You used to get families and extended families but now it's big party groups basically.

"The next morning some volunteers litter picked really early and there were tents all along the area.

"They said it was like Glastonbury, it looked like a festival.

"People are breaking into the fields and these aren't the people that would book a camp site if they were open, they are driving down four or five hours to do this.

"It wasn't local traffic, it's people from London and further who haven't seen our communications, so we are trying to get the word out nationally now.

"I think a big problem is Snapchat because you can go on the heat map to see where the activity is and there was a lot happening at Durdle Door. The videos make it seem like this big Mediterranean party beach but it is only small."