SEAFRONT traders enjoyed a bumper Sunday as thousands of visitors took advantage of the Bank Holiday and headed to the coast in search of some spring sunshine.

Beaches, restaurants and cafes were busy, with shops and stores reporting a brisk trade as the sun shone.

Drivers faced long tailbacks coming into the city, with queues on the A23 yesterday morning as daytrippers headed for Brighton on the day where they could finally enjoy some sun.

However the busy weekend is expected to give a big boost to the city’s tourism trade, with many now hoping this is an early sign of a busy and successful summer.

Adam Chinnery, owner of Brighton Watersports and chairman of the Seafront Traders Association, said: “ We’re having a very busy day. It's been a bumper Sunday. The sun is out and people are in a great mood.”

Guardino Rospigliosi Pallavicini, bartender at the Fortune of War on the seafront, said: “I’m having a lovely day. It’s delightful.

“Everyone seems to be in a good mood. The sun is out, that always helps. I think it’s maybe one of the busiest days of the year so far, although it’s not blazing hot, the weather seems to be up and down at the moment. I’d like to think this is the beginning of summer.”

Louise Prentice, an artist who works in the Open Studios, said: “It’s really busy. It’s excellent.

“It’s the second day of our artist open houses so we’ve seen a lot of people. It is amazing for me and my work is proving really quite popular. It’s good.”

The tattoo convention at the Brighton centre and the Foodies Festival at Hove Lawns also helped the weekend trade.

Travelling down was difficult with engineering work meaning there were no Southern services between Victoria and Brighton, which will be the same today.

Edwina Biucchi, visiting from London, said: “I’m having a lovely day. I used to live here a long time ago so we know Brighton very well and we love it.

“It was a three hour journey so the traffic wasn’t acceptable, but on the other hand we’ve found somewhere to park and we’re very happy to be here so it doesn’t matter.

“Obviously the weather is fantastic. We’ve just had lunch in The Lanes, sitting outside. It couldn’t be a better weekend, it’s just gorgeous.”

However the forecast is not looking as good for today, with the Met Office predicting a cloudy and breezy day, with patchy rain possible.

The weather is predicted to pick up throughout the rest of the weekend with fine weather expected for next weekend.