Lyme Regis park-and-ride too wet to reopen for Easter

The ground is too wet for vehicles to park

A park-and-ride service due to operate over the Easter holidays has been cancelled because the field used for parking is too wet.

Lyme Regis park-and-ride runs during peak holiday times and had been due to return on Saturday.

But land leased to the town council for parking has not dried out from recent heavy rainfall, forcing the service to be cancelled.

Operator First Bus said it was expected to resume on 4 May instead.

The service had been due to run from the Charmouth Road site from 30 March to 14 April to coincide with the schools' spring break.

A First Bus spokesperson said: "Lyme Regis Town Council informed us that it has been decided to delay the opening of the park-and-ride site until after Easter.

"They explained the ground conditions remain far too wet to allow vehicles on to the land in large numbers and unfortunately there is no realistic prospect of the situation improving sufficiently prior to Easter."

Dorset Council said it was talking to the town council about how it could assist.

A planning application to upgrade the park-and-ride site is being considered

The Local Democracy Reporting Service previously said the privately-owned site, two miles (3km) east of Lyme Regis, had one entrance and no other facilities.

It is leased to Lyme Regis Town Council for the park-and-ride during the school holidays, with motorists offered free parking but paying a fare on the bus.

Out of season, the field is used for grazing sheep.

A planning application to upgrade the site to provide better access, a cafe and toilet facilities is currently being considered by Dorset Council.

An amended timetable shows the service will run daily from 4-6 May, 25 May to 2 June, weekends from 8 June to 21 July, then daily from 24 July to 2 September.

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