A UNION chief has said a surge in passengers has caused "chaos" for railway services with Bournemouth "at the eye of the storm".

With another hot sunny day on the south coasts, visitors have flocked to Dorset by road and rail on Saturday.

The situation on the trains has forced one franchise provider to seek out more capacity to deal with the increased numbers wanting to travel, according to a union.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union blamed “mixed messaging from the Government” and said Cross Country had been forced to try and find additional fleet to cope with the increased passenger numbers.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “The hopeless mixed messaging from the Government and the impact of the Cummings affair has resulted in predictable chaos on the railway today with Bournemouth at the eye of the storm.”

On the roads, there were long queues on the M3 southbound in Hampshire near the M27 following a crash.

Motorists reported slow traffic across the New Forest on the A31 heading towards Dorset on Saturday lunchtime.