SPRING arrived in Somerset at the weekend as both the sun and visitors came out to Minehead.

Temperatures reached highs of 16°C on Saturday and Sunday in the county, resulting in crowds of people flocking to the seaside.

Dan Robinson, manager at Pips Fish in Minehead, said: “We had a really good weekend last weekend.

"The sun was shining and it was the first really busy weekend we’ve had since the season started.

“The darts was on at Butlins so that definitely helped but I do think if the sun continues it will mean more people coming to Minehead.

“We anticipate another busy weekend this weekend, we’ve got an Italian-themed menu Thursday night and then our normal menu on Friday and Saturday so there’s plenty for people to enjoy.”

Bryan Leaker, who owns The Parks Bed and Breakfast in Minehead said he was fully booked at the weekend.

Only a few weeks ago, Bryan was seeing numerous customers cancel their bookings because of the flooding elsewhere in Somerset.

He said: “We were fully booked at the weekend which was great and I think people are starting to realise that West Somerset is open for business.

“I was 27% down on bookings in February and so far this month I am down 20%.

“We’re starting to get a lot of bookings for May, June, July and August which is great but it is consistent with what we expect.

“The Easter holiday weekend is also nearly fully booked. Hopefully this weather continues.”

Jacks toy and gift store in the town also saw a better turnover of people following the recent rain.

Steve Jackson, manager, said: “Well, the sun certainly did shine over the weekend, especially on Sunday, and takings reflected this by being up at least three times on last year which was very cold.”

The warmer and drier bouts of weather are set to continue into next week, but the sunshine we saw over the weekend is yet to make another appearance.