Return of tourists to Weymouth 'good for the town' says Mayor

Weymouth had its hottest day of the year so far on Saturday, as the mercury rose to 32.8 degrees. The temperature was still 29C at 7.30pm.

The beach and harbourside were packed – a welcome boost for traders – with visitors and locals doing their best to adhere to social distancing rules.

But while small beauty spots like Durdle Door in Lulworth simply cannot cope with the large numbers of visitors, Weymouth Beach can accommodate many people – and there were plenty enjoying it at the weekend.

Mayor Cllr Graham Winter said: “I’m happy to see people in the town because that’s what we want. We are very lucky because we have a three-and-a-half mile beach and people can social distance.

“Generally speaking, and I know it has been busy in the town as well, although it has been busy on the beach people have been quite respectful on the whole.

“It’s good for the town, it’s nice to see people coming to the town and businesses are hopefully recovering a bit from the lockdown.

“It’s a good thing for the economy because we rely heavily on tourism so, as long as people respect each other and look out for social distancing as the majority are, I think it’s a good thing.”

Businesses made the most of the influx of customers but many are still concerned about a potential rise in local Covid-19 cases as a result of the visitors.

Fulvio Figliolini, owner of Rossi’s Ice Cream Parlour in Weymouth, said: “It’s worrying, we are still under a pandemic and more people are getting it and more places going into lockdown.

“We were closed for three months, from the beginning of the season until the fourth of July. This is my livelihood and it’s going to make a difference if we can’t open through August. I’m glad because it is not as bad as it could be, but it would be nice to see people be more aware.”

“I’m glad to be making money again but I would rather we all stay healthy, it’s a bit of a worrying outlook.”