GEOLOGY fans flocked to the seaside as the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival created a "fantastic atmosphere".

This year's them was time, tide and tectonics - as visitors and school groups enjoyed talks, walks, exhibitions and hands-on activities at venues across the town.

The wild and wet weather on Sunday meant organisers were forced to cancel the sand time walks while outdoor performances took place in the Marine Theatre.

Lyme Regis Fossil Festival co-ordinator, Heather Prior, said: "The weather was lovely on Saturday and we had a really good turnout and a lovely and fantastic atmosphere.

"The Natural History Museum in The Hub was fab and attracted big crowds. There was a fantastic atmosphere in The Hub and we are really pleased about that. The Natural History Museum was very pleased and want to be there again, so that's really good news."

She added: "We probably had in the region of well over 600 children on the schools day on Friday.

"It's always lovely to see lots of smiling faces."

Organisers were also pleased with the popularity of talks and presentations which took place across the weekend. A talk by television presenter and award-winning palaeontologist Dean Lomax, attracted more than 120 people.

The Electric Voice Theatre ran a mini-project at the Marine Theatre called Super Women of Science while a 'bearded ladies' project paid tribute to female scientists including Lyme Regis natives Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot.

A mix up with West Dorset District Council meant the sands sculpture event, scheduled to take place on the beach on Saturday, could not go ahead as planned.

Other organisations that took part in this year's event included Litter Free Coast and Sea, British Antarctic Survey, Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, Oxford University and the British Geological Survey.

For more information on the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, visit fossilfestival.co.uk