THE SUN may have stayed behind a cloud this Bank Holiday but the area was still packed as thousands of tourists made the most of the county's attractions.

An estimated 30,000 people visited the beach largely to make the most of live entertainment at the Pier Approach from pop idol Darius and the National Lottery on Saturday and popular band the Rat Pack on Sunday.

And Poole and Bournemouth town centres were packed with visitors and shoppers.

Though temperatures reached highs of 28 degrees it was late in the day before the sun finally shone.

Seafront manager Brian Cummings, said: "The Bank Holiday wasn't as busy here as we'd all expected. But there were a lot of people walking around town.

"Maybe with the transport plans being in disarray people decided not to come down. We've had several weeks of good sunshine and people are beginning to think about getting the kids sorted for school."

Sandbanks proved particularly popular with tourists and locals at the weekend.

Motorists had been warned to expect snarl-ups over the weekend as more of us took to the road to escape delays on the rail network.

But a spokesperson from AA Roadwatch said the county's roads did not suffer any major traffic jams.

He said: "The traffic is very weather dependent and, because there wasn't blazing sunshine, there was a steady flow of traffic and not much in the way of congestion."

The tourists that did come down made the most of the heat even if the sun wasn't always shining.

Sheila Markwood, visiting from London with her two children, said: "The lack of sun doesn't bother us because let's face it, we've all had a good run with it this summer.

"It's quite nice that it's not boiling hot and there's so much to do here that I know the kids won't miss it."

Hannah Woolcott, 26, from Kent, said: "Despite some minor traffic jams on the way, this holiday has been really enjoyable - there's loads to do, I'll definitely be coming back."

Kevin Harding, from Leeds, said: "We're happy to be here whatever the weather."