A TOURISM boss said a film crew tried to film an empty Bournemouth beach during February and then pass it off as summer.

Mark Smith said some ‘slightly devious’ TV companies are not being honest about why they were filming here.

Mr Smith, head of tourism for Bournemouth Council, said they had almost asked film crews to leave because of the problems.

The council asks all professional film companies to seek permission before they film on council land, including the beach.

Mr Smith told February’s meeting of the town’s chamber of trade: “Recently we have had problems with TV companies getting slightly devious about how they get their projects.

“One company in particular, they said we will be doing one thing, and were doing something quite different.

“We almost asked them to leave because of what they were doing and almost putting words in people’s mouths.

“They were filming in February in the rain, when it looked a bit bleak, as it can, but they were making it look like it was supposed to be in the summer. It was certainly not acceptable, it was nothing like the brief they had given when they asked to come down. I think sometimes these days they are struggling to make things as sensational as possible and you do get that difficulty.

“It’s about getting a balance because we get a lot of good coverage, so we don’t want to alienate them, and want to be as helpful as we can.”