HAMPSHIRE shone through the wet conditions of the last six months with a bank holiday weekend that warmed the hearts of businesses everywhere.

The mercury topped 17C in Southampton putting the city on a par with Nice and Madrid.

Locals made good use of the weather and headed outdoors.

DIY chain B&Q reported a 20 per cent surge in trade compared with this time last yearmassive.

Martin Ford, at the Nursling superstore, said: "It's the weather that's caused a welling up of demand and people have been waiting for the weather to come good to get out into the garden."

Tourist spots were also busy.

Ray Wright, from Sir Harold Hillier Gardens and Arbor-etum, near Romsey, said they had been "overwhelmed".

"It's probably our best weekend of the year," he said.

Paultons Park spokesman Richard Mancey said the good weather had brought in the tourists.

He said: "Today we've had our best day for about 10 years, we've had well in excess of 7,500 people."

The sunshine re-heated the hotel trade in the New Forest, along with the easing of foot and mouth disease restrictions, with some having to turn people away.

One of the busiest was the 79-room Careys Manor at Brockenhurst. "We have had a lot of last-minute bookings and a lot of people turning up in the hope of finding a vacant room," said a spokesperson.

It was a similar situation at the 59-room Lyndhurst Park Hotel, where assistant manager Le Sivier said: "Eventually the sun has come out and so have the people. We have been very busy with very few vacancies over the weekend."

Like other hotels that hold civil wedding ceremonies, it is now preparing for a summer boost in the shape of 47 between now and the end of September.

Most of the 56 rooms at Brockenhurst's Balmer Lawn Hotel were also snapped up over the weekend.

The WestQuay shopping centre estimated that about 35,000 people would pass through the doors by closure yesterday.

That is 5,000 more than they have had over previous bank holidays and the general improvement in the weather was named as the major contributor in getting people out of their homes.

business at the nearby National Motor Museum in Beaulieu was also outstanding.

Managing director Martin Westwood said: "We're about 28 per cent up on last year in terms of numbers.

"Over the three days we've had 4,500 visitors compared to 3,500 last year."