IT'S been a long time coming . . . but summer is here at last!With the sun shining and temperatures rising, it has meant Suffolk's tourist industry can at long last kick its season into action - and provide a real warm welcome for visitors.
By Richard Cornwell
AFTER a succession of sunny days, sunshine is forecast for the weekend so has summer finally arrived?
RICHARD CORNWELL reports.
IT'S been a long time coming . . . but summer is here at last!
With the sun shining and temperatures rising, it has meant Suffolk's tourist industry can at long last kick its season into action - and provide a real warm welcome for visitors.
Weathermen say the settled period of summer sun is set to stay and temperatures in Suffolk could soar to 26C at the weekend.
A spokesman for the Met Office said: “We are expecting it to be dry and warm on Saturday with sunny spells. Showers, perhaps heavy and thundery, during Sunday and Monday.”
At Felixstowe the fine weather is creating a bonanza for the attractions, food outlets and kiosks after weeks of wet, cold and miserable days.
“It's put a smile on everyone's faces. We have had a really good day and we hope this weather lasts for the rest of the holidays,” said one pier kiosk worker.
For many it has been straight from breakfast to the beach.
Chalets and beach huts have been opened, and the shores have been packed this week with young and old enjoying playing on the sand, equipped with buckets and spades, and paddling and swimming in the sea.
Picnics and ice creams have been the order of the day with everyone making the most of spending as much time on the seafront as possible.
Amusements have been doing good business all along the front, and the open-top bus giving tours around the town has seen usage grow.
In fact, the area has been so busy there has been traffic chaos in places - particularly on Bath Hill and Undercliff Road East. Although cars are not allowed to park on the hill, the lack of yellow lines following recent resurfacing has created a free-for-all and led to jams with people trying to get up and down the narrowed hill.
What do you enjoy most - or least - about Felixstowe? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk
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