Visitors flock to seaweed strewn Weymouth Beach

Image source, Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
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Beachgoers in Weymouth have complained that seaweed strewn on the beach has become "very smelly".
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The town council has said the seaweed will remain on the beach until it is washed back out into the bay.
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Aerial pictures from the Dorset resort over the weekend show the extent of the seaweed.
Image source, Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
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The seaweed hasn't put off visitors, this couple were spotted reading the newspaper during their visit to the beach with the seaweed around them.
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The council said it appreciated the "seaweed might be unsightly" but it helps "preserve the integrity of the ecosystem".
Image source, Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
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As tempuratures soared over the weekend the beach was packed despite the slick of seaweed.
Image source, Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
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To escape the crowds (and the seaweed) a couple wearing sailor hats enjoyed a paddle in their inflatable boat off the beach.

At a glance

Weymouth Beach showing the results of a council decision not to clear the sands of rotting seaweed
The seaweed has been washed up by winds on the southern section of the Dorset beach
Some beachgoers have complained the seaweed strewn on the beach has become "very smelly"
Weymouth Town Council says the seaweed helps "preserve the integrity of the ecosystem" and is an important food source for sea creatures

12 June 2023

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