HOTELS reopened “without trouble” across Bournemouth on the weekend while Dorset Police thanked the community for a “largely peaceful weekend”.

Tim Seward, chair of the BH Area Hospitality Association (BAHA) who represent hotels across the conurbation, said he was glad to welcome guests back to hotels but said it would take time to get the industry back to what it was.

“Not everybody has opened, but hotels that have opened have had stock,” he said

“Obviously, it was the first weekend and it was only announced everything would reopen a few weeks ago.

“Hotels do have guests though and they are positively reopening with social distancing and PPE.

“It is all positive in the area. Everything is good in this area and we want people to come back now.”

Mr Seward said the weather would help encourage more people to visit the hotels, with it forecast to reach the low 20s next weekend.

“Everyone is putting in procedures to welcome back guests safely,” he continued.

“There was no trouble over the weekend. I saw people sat outside the Mirimar, the restaurant in the Cumberland was busy.

“People are saying the high street will go bust that won’t happen. Hoteliers have stuck together, it is going to be a long process and business is looking to get back to normal by 2021.”

Mr Seward added: “We are open and didn’t have any trouble. We are really happy that a large number of our hotels have reopened using social distancing and PPE and we look forward to welcoming more guests back in the coming weeks.”

Meanwhile, Dorset Police chief constable James Vaughan said he was grateful people returned to the hospitality sector safely.

He said: “We had extra patrols throughout the county and officers widely engaged with people out and about and businesses.

“Thankfully, on Saturday we saw a decrease in incidents, with 485 recorded compared with the previous day of 491. However, we dealt with more ‘999’ calls – 379 were recorded on Saturday, which was an increase when compared to the seven-day average of 320 calls.

“Sadly, on Sunday our officers still had to deal with two very serious incidents on our roads.

“Following a collision in Verwood a motorcyclist was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and we arrested a man on suspicion of driving offences.

“Tragically, on Sunday evening a London man aged in his 30s lost his life in a collision in Wool involving three vehicles.

“I hope that the coming weeks will continue to follow the trend we have seen this weekend.

“However, we are aware that it is expected that far more people will choose to holiday within the UK over the summer months, which is likely to impact especially on coastal areas like Dorset.

“Therefore, we are not complacent and will continue to work closely with our partner agencies to ensure we have the necessary resources in place.

“My message to everyone, whether you are a visitor or a resident, remains that you have a duty to act responsibly and not to become involved in drink related anti-social behaviour or leave your rubbish to litter our beautiful region.

“If we all act responsibly, we can all enjoy a safe summer.”

Police and crime commissioner Martyn Underhill added: “In the build-up to this weekend we asked members of the public to enjoy our reopened pubs, bars and hospitality sector, but to do so safely and responsibly.

“I’m very pleased to say that the vast majority of people seem to have taken this message on board over this weekend.

“I’d like to thank the public for behaving in a way that respects our communities, and ask them to please continue acting responsibly throughout the rest of the summer.”