Fuming family are turned away by police from packed beach at Durdle Door after driving for SIX hours - as thousands of sun-seekers flocked to the coast

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Hours trapped in the back of a sweaty car during a blistering heatwave can be worth it when a beautiful beach lies at the end of the journey.

But one family was left fuming after they drove six hours from Birmingham to Durdle Door in Dorset only to be turned away due to it being closed.

Dorset Traffic Cops, the official Facebook page for Dorset Police Traffic Unit, had earlier posted there were road closures to restrict access to the packed seafront.

It revealed there were some 'very unhappy people' who had 'travelled from significant distances' as the temperature rocketed to 86F (30C) in the West Country.

The man and his four children had made the 200-mile trip from Birmingham only to be stopped at a road closure at Lulworth on Saturday.

Dorset Traffic Cops, the official Facebook page for Dorset Police Traffic Unit, had earlier posted there were road closures to restrict access to the packed beach

It revealed there were some 'very unhappy people' who had 'travelled from significant distances' as the temperature rocketed to 86F (30C) in the West Country

The man and his four children had made the 200-mile trip from Birmingham only to be stopped at a road closure at Lulworth on Saturday

Dorset Traffic Cops added: 'A colleague just stopped a gent who travelled from Birmingham with his four children to see Durdle Door.

'They set off at 8am and at 2.30pm they finally reached the road closure at Lulworth only to be turned around after 6.5 hours in the car.'

It came as daredevils were pictured leaping from Durdle Door's 200-ft-tall arch, just weeks after cliff divers had to be rescued by air ambulance.

They climbed across the cliff before leaping into the water beneath them on the Dorset coast on Saturday.

Some were seen carrying inflatable rings as they made their way across the dangerous rock face.

It was just three months after two men in their 20s were left with life-changing injuries and another broke his leg after jumping from the beauty spot. 

Sunseekers climbed across the cliff before leaping into the water beneath them on the Dorset coast earlier Saturday

Some were seen carrying inflatable rings as they made their way across the dangerous rock face before jumping in

Dorset police previously described the danger posed by jumping from the cliff as 'critical'. Pictured, a man leaps into the sea while other swimmers wait below

Dorset police previously described the danger posed by jumping from the cliff as 'critical'.

One officer wrote on social media: 'The arch of Durdle Door is approximately 200 feet in height. Hitting water from that height can be critical.

'This is further compounded by tides, currents and altering depth of the sea bed. It is not an appropriate location for this type of activity.'

The divers launched themselves into the sea from a height during a day out at the beach on what was one of the hottest days of the year so far.

One man dived headfirst into the sea despite the threat from tides and a changing sea bed depth.

The mercury hit 86F (30C) on the Dorset coast on Saturday, with warm weather set to continue until Wednesday.

Hundreds of sunseekers made their way to the coast to enjoy sweltering August temperatures

A man traversed the steep rock edge while holding onto an inflatable ring. He later leapt into the water below

On May 30 two air ambulances were called to Durdle Door after a man was knocked unconscious when he was dashed by rocks following a daring jump into the water.

Ben Clark was at the beach at the time. He told The Sun: 'The lad did not come back to the surface, he just never came back up.

'He got CPR on the beach right in front of my eyes. Then a defibrillator was used.'

The man, in his 20s, was dragged out of the water when he failed to resurface following the leap.

An off-duty medical worker performed CPR before the air ambulance arrived to bring him to Southampton General Hospital.

Another man was rushed via air ambulance to critical care for a serious spine injury and the third was taken to hospital in a land ambulance after breaking his leg.

Holidaymakers and sunseekers again flocked to Durdle Door to cool off as temperatures soared across the country. 

It comes just months after two men in their 20s were left with life-changing injuries and another broke his leg after jumping from the cliff. Pictured, one of the jumpers on Saturday

Another man leaps from a lower point at Durdle Door as visitors continued to cliff dive despite the dangers

Drivers reported 40-minute queues for car parks in Sandbanks, near Poole, which filled up by morning.

Thanet District Council in Kent warned high tides at the beaches in Broadstairs and Margate made social distancing 'difficult'.

It asked visitors to 'consider all the places you could visit' along its 19 miles of coastline, 'or come back when it's quieter'.

Crowds have repeatedly ignored any fears of coronavirus as groups mixed without masks - despite rising cases in the UK driving fears of a second wave.

The chaos comes amid a plea for 'bold' young people to continue following social distancing rules as fears grow that they are catching the virus and spreading it.

Many Britons have enjoyed another scorching summer day, with temperatures in the 30Cs, before thunderstorms are set to strike this week.

The Met Office said Sunday was 'another hot day' in the south, where top temperatures hit 93F (34C) at Herstmonceux, East Sussex, and 92.8F (33.8C) at Heathrow, London, and Gosport in Hampshire.

Many Britons have enjoyed another scorching summer day, with temperatures in the 30Cs, before thunderstorms are set to strike this week. Pictured: Durdle Door yesterday

The Met Office said Sunday was 'another hot day' in the south, where top temperatures hit 93F (34C). Pictured: Durdle Door yesterday

The Met Office said 'severe thunderstorms' may break out from Monday through to Thursday. Pictured: Durdle Door yesterday

But the Met Office said 'severe thunderstorms' may break out from Monday through to Thursday.

Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: 'It has been a warm day for much of the UK and another exceptionally hot day down in its south-eastern quarter.'

Parts of East Anglia and south-east England including Kent, Hampshire, London, Essex and Suffolk enjoyed temperatures that were in the 30Cs.

People in Dorset were urged to avoid Lulworth and Durdle Door due to large numbers in the coastal areas and officials said they are closing roads to manage traffic.

HM Coastguard dealt with 340 incidents across the whole of the UK On Saturday - the highest number of call-outs in a single day for well over four years.

The Coastguard coordinated search and rescue responses to a wide range of incidents, including people being cut off by the tide and children swept out to sea on inflatables.

In total, the service rescued 146 people and assisted a further 371.

South East Water urged its customers to put away their hose pipes, garden sprinklers and water toys as it said a spike in demand had left some people with low pressure or no water.

It said it has been pumping an additional 150million litres of water around its network, the equivalent of 27million additional toilet flushes, to keep up with demand over the summer.

They put the increase in water use down to more people being at home and taking up DIY and gardening projects during the rise in staycations.

In its broad yellow thunderstorm warning covering large swathes of the UK, the Met Office says that 'not everywhere will see them, but where they do occur they could be significant and disruptive'.

Large parts of England and Wales have been warned that torrential rain, large hail, frequent lightning and strong gusty winds may hit as intense thunderstorms may break out through to Thursday.

Downpours could see totals of 20-30mm of rainfall in an hour, with some locations potentially receiving 40-60mm in three hours. The Met Office adds that these would be fairly isolated instances.

Friday saw the hottest August day in 17 years, with temperatures hitting 98F (36.4C) at Heathrow and Kew Gardens.

Saturday's top temperature was 94F (34.5C), which was at Frittenden in Kent, Wiggonholt in West Sussex, and Herstmonceux in East Sussex, the Met Office said.