Dorset News
The latest Dorset news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Weymouth Fire: Keel House Flats Evacuated on Dorchester Road
Fire crews were called to Keel House at 00:38 on Sunday after a top-floor blaze spread into the roof space. Residents evacuated, road closures in place.
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Dorset
Dorset Claimant Count 4,900: Under-25s Up 13% in a Year
Dorset's under-25 claimant count rose 13.1% in a year to 990, the highest August figure since 2021, while the 25 to 49 band fell. The county total is 4,900.
Sturminster Newton
Sturminster Newton Aldi: Council Expert Doubts Impact Data
Dorset Council's retail consultant says the Aldi impact case rests on shopper surveys from 2017, and redoing it could show a bigger hit to the town centre.
Poole
Poole students record Graham Kendrick song in Dorchester
Poole students and young adults with disabilities sang, signed and danced on Joy oh Joy in Dorchester, a song Graham Kendrick wrote for Shaftesbury.
Tourism
Dorset Tourism Awards 2026: The Finalists, Town by Town
Nothe Fort, the Etches Collection and Swanage Carnival make this year's Dorset Tourism Awards finalist list. Winners are named in Bournemouth on 22 October.
Bins
Purbeck bin collection days change from 28 September
Letters are going to 19,000 households served by the Wareham depot, from Swanage to Upton and Bere Regis. No letter means your day stays the same.
Weymouth
Weymouth Water Fest: free beach tasters Saturday 12 Sept
Sea dips, paddleboarding, gig rowing and a surf lifesaving demo, free on Weymouth Beach from 10am to 3pm. The windsurfing Worlds fan zone runs the same day.
Portland
Easton Methodist Church: £1m appeal launch on 23 September
Portland's Grade II* church is no longer fully watertight and is raising £1m for repairs. Doors open 10.30am to noon on Wednesday 23 September, with tours.
Weymouth
iQFOiL Worlds Weymouth: Free Fan Zone Saturday 12 Sept
Up to 250 windsurfers from more than 40 nations are racing off Weymouth and Portland this week. Saturday's free Fan Zone at the Pavilion screens the Medal Series live, with free taster sessions to book.
Housing
Dorset homelessness: £1.1m secured for prevention work
Dorset Council has secured £1.1m of government money for earlier help before people lose their homes, and new accommodation for long-term rough sleepers. The county's main homelessness grant for 2026-27 is £3.4m.
Ferndown
Victoria Road Ferndown revamp starts Monday 7 September
Ten weeks of work on Ferndown's shopping street start 7 September. The road and all shops stay open, with planters, seating and parking changes coming.
Dorset Council
Dorset ward boundaries: 84 councillors, comment by 9 Nov
The Boundary Commission proposes 84 Dorset councillors in 58 wards, with most boundaries changing. Residents have until 9 November 2026 to comment.
Business
New companies in Dorchester: 26 registered in August
A festival company named for the Dorset Ooser, a pizza business, two personal trainers and six building firms are among 26 companies registered in DT1 and DT2 last month.
Energy
Dorset solar scheme: register free by 25 September
Dorset Council's group-buying round with Switch Together is free to join until 25 September, with no obligation. Last year's scheme helped over 200 households cut bills.
Water
Dorset Hosepipe Ban: Your Bill Decides, Not Your Postcode
Wessex Water and South West Water have banned hosepipes. Bournemouth Water has not, so check who bills you. The 11 banned uses and the £1,000 fine.
House prices
Dorset house prices: £325,410 average, up 1.6% in a year
The June figure is up £5,187 on a year ago but down on the month, 196th of 295 English areas for growth. Semis and terraces rose 2.6%, flats fell, and the 2022 peak is still £26,717 away.
Arts
Dorset culture fund: £486,000 a year, apply by 5 October
Round 6 of Dorset Council's revenue fund offers museums, theatres and arts groups £5,000 to £50,000 a year to March 2030. 28 organisations hold the current awards; they all run out in March 2027.
Weymouth
Abbotsbury Road Weymouth: 12 Weeks of Lights from 7 Sep
Temporary signals go up where Abbotsbury Road meets Chickerell Road on 7 September and stay until 27 November. Both roads also shut fully 9 to 16 November.
Weymouth
Weymouth parkrun off on 22 and 29 August
Two Saturdays cancelled at Lodmoor, reason given as course unsafe or blocked. It follows the four busiest consecutive Saturdays in the event's 602-run history.
Housing
Dorset Housing Register: renew within 20 days or lose it
Miss the 20-day renewal window and your application closes. Half of the 6,921 people on Dorset's housing register have not renewed. New bands start 1 September.
Air Ambulance
Dorset Air Ambulance: name the new helicopter by 25 August
Entries to name Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance's second helicopter close at 23:59 on Tuesday 25 August. The winner gets a behind-the-scenes airbase tour.
Fire
Dorset fire service declares major incident over wildfires
The fire service declared a major incident at 8pm on 13 August, citing the red wildfire alert and 277 outdoor fires in July. What is banned, and what to do.
Roads
Weymouth Esplanade to close overnight from 28 September
Dorset Council will shut the Esplanade 8pm to 6am from 28 September to 17 October for resurfacing, with Wessex Roundabout to follow. The full autumn list.
Business
Weymouth Bay Coffee Co at Lodmoor goes into liquidation
The company behind the Lodmoor Country Park cafe entered creditors' voluntary liquidation on 20 July. Who to contact if the Weymouth cafe owes you money.