SHADE crusader Eddie Dahl will be bringing his one-man sun safety campaign to Weymouth beach this summer.

Mr Dahl, of Catherine Hill, Frome, Somerset, has been handing out free sun block to sun worshippers for fourteen years.

He is on a mission to make sure people enjoy the sun safely and are warned of the dangers of skin cancer.

He said: "I love Weymouth and will be on the beach handing out free sun block to those who need it this July and August.

"I am also a big Thomas Hardy fan and love Dorset in general. My father lived at Puddletown until his death last September from cancer.

"He told me he was proud to have spent his final days in what for him was Britain's number one county."

Mr Dahl added: "My sun-related skin cancer awareness campaign is 14 years old this year and I intend to keep it running for another six years.

"I have handed out thousands of samples of free sun block on many beaches and at public events over the years."

Mr Dahl advises sun bathers to avoid being in the direct rays of the sun between May and September and to apply a factor 20 to 50 sun block.

He says he is pleased to see schools providing more sheltered playing areas for children and is happy to see women using fake tanning products rather than expose themselves excessively to the real thing.

He added: "Sunshine provides vitamin D which lifts our spirits through chemical changes in the pleasure zones of the brain.

"But the sun also kills 2,000 people a year and around 40,000 new cases of skin cancer are reported."

Mr Dahl said that as well as campaigning on sun safety issues he has written two ghost stories which were made into television shows.