WHAT a difference a day makes! On Saturday families flocked to Bournemouth beach to soak up the remains of the late half-term heatwave which saw South Coast temperatures matching many Mediterranean hotspots.

But by lunchtime on Sunday, cloudy conditions prevailed with rain showers putting paid to sunbathing and al fresco dining plans.

For those who did venture to the beach, brollies replaced bikinis and buckets and spades were packed away.

After a disappointing bank holiday weekend, weatherwise, tourism chiefs had been pinning their hopes on sizzling last-minute school holiday weather drawing up to 80,000 people to Bournemouth beaches.

The signs were good. As the mercury rose on Friday afternoon hotels and guesthouses were filling up fast with late bookings and heavy traffic on main roads leading to the resort.

But the heavy traffic was visible yesterday as visitors headed home on the M27.

While sunseekers were disappointed by falling temperatures yesterday, gardeners were delighted by forecasts for long-awaited rain showers to provide some relief to parched gardens and allotments.

The changeable conditions are set to continue this week. Today is set to be cloudy with a maximum temperature of 19C. There will be light rain showers on Tuesday when the mercury will dip to 17C. There will be sunny intervals on Wednesday but heavy rain showers are predicted for Thursday when temperatures will drop to 15C.

Bournemouth-based weather expert Dr Richard Wild from Weathernet said the area would experience a period of changeable weather, but overall there would be a few showers with generally dry conditions.