POLICE closed Marine Parade and Cobb gate car park in Lyme Regis on Wednesday night as tumultuous storms made the area too dangerous for walkers.

Crowds gathered at the Bell Cliff cannon to watch as huge waves crashed in to the car park, leaving stones and debris scattered all around the town clock.

Residents of the Bay Hotel, who had been out for dinner, found themselves unable to return until well after high tide and the streets were littered with roof tiles that had been blown off in the gales that whipped through Broad Street.

Lyme Regis Town Council moved its monthly policy committee meeting to its offices in St Michael's business centre in Church Street instead of the precipitous Guildhall.

Landlords at the Cobb Arms used sandbags to keep the pub watertight while drinkers watched the show, but yesterday morning, townsfolk agreed that they had seen worse in the hurricanes of 1975 and the early 80s.

Harbour master Mike Poupard said: "It was spectacular but not as severe as we have had it before."

Fishermen breathed a sigh of relief as it became clear the storms had not caused any serious damage to their vessels. Chris and Paul Wason kept watch over their boats from the warmth of the Cobb Arms as the morning high tide did its worst.

Paul said: "I thought we were going to have some serious damage but we're OK. It doesn't make good news, but it's good news for us."

Nonetheless, the views were breathtaking as the south westerly wind pounded waves over the Cobb, spitting out stones and sticks as the tide slipped out.

Town council staff, whose job it was to clear up the mess, stood on the Cobb beach contemplating the day ahead of them, picking up the pieces of a 'no dogs allowed' sign that lay smashed up amid a blanket of seaweed and litter.

A ladder normally bolted to the north wall of the harbour floated at the shoreline and a huge log sat defiantly on the Cobb, resting where it had been flung by the sea.

Boat skipper Harry May said he too had seen worse storms but Wednesday evening's display had been spectacular because of the darkness.

He said: "It was a raging tempest out there."