Visitors are being urged to think before visiting Weymouth as the town doesn't want a repeat of scenes further along the coast.

Thousands of beachgoers have been heading to Durdle Door and Lulworth, prompting safety concerns

As reported, people were injured jumping off the Durdle Door arch on Saturday, forcing authorities to order crowds off the beaches and close roads – although visitors still managed to travel there the following day.

Dorset Council has urged the public to think twice before visiting the county and to respect communities if they do visit.

That message is being pushed in Weymouth which has so far escaped having a major influx of visitors. Beaches have not been as busy and those going to the coast have by and large followed social distancing rules.

We reported how Weymouth Beach was not very busy on Bank Holiday Monday compared to a rammed Bournemouth Beach.

Weymouth town councillor Tia Roos said she didn't think there would be problems on the beach as so far residents and visitors had been good at social distancing, and people tend to speak up when they want more space.

She added: "Seaside towns rely on people visiting and spending their money here but if people are reckless and selfish and don’t follow the rules then we end up having to shut things down, close beaches, cut off those vital beauty spots and that’s not fair to businesses, residents or the town overall."

Cllr Roos said the government also needed to set a better example.

Meanwhile, Cllr Jon Orrell, also a local GP said: "As a councillor I am keen to preserve tourist businesses. As a doctor I am desperately worried about the second wave. We have the worst death rate in Europe. The late lockdown means relaxation is much harder. In the absence of locally run test, track and isolate teams it is reckless to keep opening up beaches without knowing the effects. It is too soon for returning to old ways."

Andy Cooke of the Loving Weymouth and Portland Facebook page said: With such a large visitor following across our social

media channels and website we are very conscious of the impact of our message on both visitor numbers and behaviour; it’s a responsibility we take very seriously and like to think that our message has struck the right tone.

"Over the weekend events at Durdle Door were tragic and we were concerned we may also see problems in Weymouth. It saw us being a bit more specific in our approach directly advising visitors that we had potential problems with social distancing and asking them to spread out along the whole length of the beach if they couldn’t distance responsibly as well as pointing out what looked like a problem with with distancing on the harbour walls.

"We also made the decision to hold back on our hugely popular live videos from the beach and harbour opting to visit quieter locations instead.

"Overall it appears we have faired well in Weymouth compared to many places but it is a definite cause for concern and we welcome requests from both Dorset Council and The Lulworth Estate to the Government to review the impact of recent lockdown changes on coastal communities like ours.

"We’re heartened that the vast majority of comments we receive from potential visitors has been very positive and sympathetic to our local situation."

A spokesman for Weymouth Town Council said: "We are urging everyone considering visiting the area to think twice. We urge people to stay local to protect our open spaces, local communities and emergency services.

"If you are thinking of travelling to Weymouth, facilities, including public toilets, will be limited.

"Please take all litter home with you and please do NOT use disposable BBQs as there is currently a very high fire risk.

"When Weymouth is able to offer visitors its normal level of service we will once again welcome all visitors to our amazing town, but until then, stay local and think twice before visiting."