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The latest Dorset news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.

Top story Loscombe Crossroads: A30 Closure to Stay, Say by 11 Dec Dorset Council wants to keep Loscombe Crossroads on the A30 near Sherborne shut for good. Reopening would cost £1m to £15m. Survey closes 11 December. · 5 min read

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Devolution Wessex Mayor Deal in 'Final Stages', With £8.69m Lined Up The Budget puts a Wessex mayoral deal in its final stages and pencils in £8.69m for 2027-28. A public consultation comes next. No election date yet. · 3 min read Environment Wessex Water Rated 2 Stars Again: 164 Sewage Pollutions Wessex Water, which supplies most of Dorset, is rated 'requires improvement' for 2025, with 164 sewage pollution incidents against a target of 68. · 3 min read Politics Dorset MP Wants Ofcom Review Over GB News and Royal Mail Vikki Slade MP asked ministers for a formal review of Ofcom on 29 October, citing GB News, scam calls, rural broadband and post that turns up in bundles. · 7 min read Crime Portland Caravan Fire: Two Arrested, Police Seek Witnesses Police believe a fire that destroyed a caravan in Yeats Road, Portland, at about 1am on 29 October was deliberate. Two people arrested. Quote 55260169390. · 1 min read Dorchester £1,495 Grant Helps Dorchester Mum's Cleaning Firm Double Cailin Lambrechts, 30, set up a Dorchester cleaning firm after leaving an abusive relationship. A £1,495 grant paid for rebranding; she now has four cleaners. · 4 min read Weymouth Town Council Weymouth Beach Gets £75,000 of New Deckchairs and Sunbeds Up to £75,000 of new deckchairs, sunbeds and windbreaks for Weymouth Beach, and a hunt for a watercraft operator for summer 2027. Palestine flag motion fell. · 6 min read Sherborne Leweston School Will Not Reopen: Places Offered From 2 Nov Leweston School near Sherborne has closed for good at half term. Every pupil has been offered a place at an Inspired Learning Group school from 2 November. · 3 min read Devolution Wessex Mayor: MP Says Summer Bid for Dorset-Only Deal Failed Vikki Slade MP says a Wessex mayor will be elected in 2028, after a summer bid to cut the deal to Dorset and BCP alone. Read the MPs' June letter here. · 6 min read Weymouth Dogs on Weymouth Beach 6pm to 6am? Cabinet Decides 10 Nov Dorset councillors want dogs on leads allowed on Weymouth Beach from 6pm to 6am in summer. Weymouth Town Council officers call it risky and want it stopped. · 4 min read Weymouth Town Council Maiden Street Toilets Shut 2 Nov, Then 50p by Card Weymouth's Maiden Street toilets close on 2 November for about five months. Councillors agreed on 28 October to charge 50p by card when they reopen. · 3 min read Crime West Moors Burglaries: £10,000 of Pokémon Cards Taken Police want doorbell and dashcam footage after four West Moors break-ins between 30 September and 11 October. A safe and £10,000 of Pokémon cards were taken. · 2 min read Sherborne Sherborne Library Now Open 8am to 8pm, Six Days a Week Sherborne Library members aged 16 and over can now let themselves in from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, against 30 staffed hours before. How to sign up. · 3 min read Weymouth Littlemoor and Broadwey £20m Plan: Draft Shown 29 October The draft 10-year plan for up to £2m a year in Littlemoor and Broadwey goes to residents on 29 October. Safety, cleaner streets and youth activities top the list. · 3 min read Jobs Dorset Claimant Count 4,920: Over-50s Up 11.5% in a Year 4,920 people in the Dorset Council area claimed out-of-work benefits in September, 195 more than a year ago. Over-50s rose by 150, the biggest jump of any age group. · 4 min read Crime Weymouth Vehicle Fire Appeal: Dorchester Road, 19 October Police believe a vehicle fire in Dorchester Road, Redlands, at about 1.50am on 19 October was suspicious and want witnesses and dashcam footage. Quote 55260163602. · 1 min read Crime Dorset Crime Figures: Down 9.8%, Home Burglaries Edge Up Recorded crime in the Dorset Council area fell 9.8% to 19,274 in the year to June. Home burglaries rose slightly, unlike the force-wide fall police reported. · 3 min read Wildlife SEA LIFE Weymouth Turtle Crush Tracked 890km Since Release Crush, the loggerhead turtle cared for at SEA LIFE Weymouth, has swum more than 890km since her release off the Azores in September, her satellite tag shows. · 1 min read Weather Storm Austen: Portland Beach Road Open, Chiswell Flood Alert Portland Beach Road closed on Friday morning as Storm Austen hit Dorset, reopened by 1.30pm and was still open on Saturday night, the council says. · 4 min read Council Wessex Mayor: Prime Minister Says Yes, but Gives No Date Andy Burnham told West Dorset's MP he backs a Wessex mayor covering Dorset, BCP, Somerset and Wiltshire. He did not commit to a 2028 election. · 3 min read Veterans Veterans Sought for Brunel Gulf War and Blast Injury Study Two anonymous 15-minute online surveys for UK veterans on blast, head injury and Gulf War illness, plus 150 places in a Brunel blood study. How to take part. · 6 min read Tourism Dorset Museum Wins Gold and Two Silvers at Tourism Awards Dorset Museum & Art Gallery in Dorchester won gold for international tourism and two silvers at the Dorset Tourism Awards in Bournemouth on 22 October. · 4 min read Environment Dorset Wildlife Trust Appeal: £25,000 to Spread Rewilding Dorset Wildlife Trust wants £25,000 to take what it learned at Wild Woodbury, where skylarks went from 2 territories to over 55, to more land across Dorset. · 5 min read Farming SFI Shut in Six Hours: Dorset MP Wants Emergency Farm Aid Farm payment scheme SFI closed six hours after opening on 22 September. Vikki Slade MP wants immediate funding for Dorset farmers who were locked out. · 4 min read Poole Altitude Poole: Car Park Back After £13m Cladding Rescue The car park at Altitude on Parkstone Road, Poole, has reopened after six years. Wall repairs rose from £8m to over £13m, all paid by the Building Safety Fund. · 2 min read Verwood Stephens Castle Verwood: Fence Cut Before Livestock Arrive Fencing at Stephens Castle in Verwood was cut in many places on the night of 15 October, shortly before grazing animals arrive. The fence must be rewired. · 3 min read Bovington Tank Museum King Tiger: Engine and Gearbox Loaned by Sweden The Tank Museum at Bovington will borrow a rare King Tiger engine and gearbox from Sweden to get KTV2 running, with £506,000 of its £1m target raised. · 4 min read Business 865 Dorset Firms Closed in Six Months: MP Wants VAT Cut 865 Dorset businesses closed and 790 opened from January to June, ONS figures show. Vikki Slade MP wants a hospitality VAT cut in the coming Budget. · 4 min read Gillingham Gillingham's Madjeston Way Opens After Three Years Closed The 1.3km road linking New Road and Shaftesbury Road across south Gillingham is now open, three years after it was finished. Here is how it works. · 3 min read Portland Portland Incinerator Permit: 67 More Waste Types Allowed The Environment Agency has let Powerfuel Portland burn 67 more types of waste, including household rubbish, at its planned plant. The 202,000-tonne cap stays. · 4 min read Weymouth Weymouth Medieval Dig Finds on Show Free at County Hall Finds from two Weymouth digs are on show free at County Hall, Dorchester, to 23 October. The artefacts are out only on 14 and 21 October, 11am to 2pm. · 3 min read Wareham Wareham A352 Crash: Driver, 18, Dies as Police Seek Dashcam An 18-year-old driver died after a crash on the A352 Wareham Road at 11.50pm on Sunday 11 October. Dorset Police want witnesses and dashcam footage. · 1 min read Poole Poole Rower Lexi Gill, 17, Picked for the Youth Olympics Poole rower Lexi Gill, 17, races beach sprints for Great Britain at the Dakar Youth Olympics, 31 October to 3 November, after a £1,000 community grant. · 4 min read Poole Poole to Cherbourg Ferry Ends: MP Asks PM to Keep Door Open The Barfleur's last Poole to Cherbourg sailing ends a 34-year link. Vikki Slade MP raised it with the PM, who offered a meeting with the Europe minister. · 3 min read Dorchester Shire Hall Museum Dorchester Closes After 3 Years of Losses The courtroom where the Tolpuddle Martyrs were tried shut to visitors at 1pm on 8 October. Its accounts show three years of spending over income. · 3 min read SEND Dorset SEND Plan Approved: Grant Due on a £148.8m Deficit Ministers approved Dorset's SEND plan, so the government will pay 90% of the eligible high needs deficit. The schools fund was £148.8m in the red in March. · 4 min read Business New Dorset Businesses: 130 Firms Registered in a Fortnight 130 companies registered in the Dorset Council area from 27 Sept to 10 Oct, from a Dorchester coffee roastery to Weymouth boat charters, plus one liquidation. · 4 min read Dorset Council Dorset Council This Week: 828 Homes Back at Committee Crossways' 500 homes and Chickerell's 328 go back to planning committee on Wednesday, both recommended for approval. Plus an £8.1m overspend forecast. · 4 min read Buses Dorset Buses: 700 Extra Weekly Journeys From Summer 2027 Dorset Council has approved a seven-year bus plan: 700 more journeys a week and Saturday buses on every core route from summer 2027. Routes are not named yet. · 6 min read Charmouth Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre: Cabinet Backs Inland Move Charmouth Parish Council will get government money to buy Hensleigh House as a future home for the centre, which erosion is expected to claim by about 2055. · 4 min read Roadworks Dorchester Road Weymouth Closure: Buses Diverted From 23 Oct Dorchester Road in Radipole is closed from 19 October to Christmas. Buses 2, 10 and X51 divert from 23 October via Weymouth Way and miss six stops. · 6 min read Swanage Railway Flying Scotsman at Swanage: 5 Running Days and Road Closures Flying Scotsman hauls Swanage Railway trains on 24, 25, 28 and 29 October and 1 November. Fares from £59.95, display days £29.95, and two road changes planned. · 6 min read Food hygiene Dorset Food Hygiene: Wareham Mobile Caterer Rated 1 A Wareham mobile caterer is rated 1 for how it manages food safety. Of 180 Dorset inspections from August and September, 171 scored the top rating of 5. · 6 min read Weymouth Weymouth Printer's Asbestos Death: Family Seek Co-Workers Terry Ridyard died of mesothelioma at 63. His family want to hear from anyone who worked with him at Jeffrey Bros Printers in Maiden Street, Weymouth. · 3 min read Roadworks A31 Shut All Weekend 16 to 19 Oct, Bere Regis to the A350 The A31 from Bere Regis to the A350 shuts 9pm Friday 16 October to 6am Monday 19 October, now confirmed in National Highways' report, after nights to 15 October. · 5 min read Dorset Council Dorset Dog Beach Ban to Stay 1 May to 30 Sept, Officers Say Officers want every Dorset dog rule kept from January 2027 after 5,013 people replied. Seatown Beach split 282 to 280, and the £100 fixed penalty stays. · 6 min read Books Golden Magical Ribbon: Dorset author's books for 6 to 9s Blandford Forum author Debra-Anne Thompson has two Golden Magical Ribbon books out for 6 to 9s, with book three due in October and book four in November. · 5 min read Weymouth Weymouth Harbour Fire Exercise: Smoke at North Quay from 6pm Simulated smoke, fire crews and patrol boats at North Quay Marina from 18:00 on Thursday 24 September. A two hour exercise, and no live fire is used. · 6 min read Fire Keel House Fire: £760 Raised by Three Weymouth Appeals Three people left with nothing by the Keel House fire have opened fundraisers. £760 between them by Wednesday afternoon, in their own words, and how to give. · 7 min read Transport Sandbanks Ferry Refit: Last Crossings on 1 November The chain ferry stops for a planned seven weeks from 2 November for its major refit in Poole and Falmouth. The last sailing leaves Shell Bay at 11.10pm on Sunday 1 November. · 5 min read House prices Dorset House Prices: Down £289 in a Year to £325,154 The Dorset average was £325,154 in July 2026, £289 down on a year. Flats fell 2.9% and semis rose 1%; Dorset ranked 211th of 295 English areas for growth. · 5 min read Fire Weymouth Fire: Keel House Flats Evacuated on Dorchester Road About 30 firefighters fought the Keel House fire, 68a Dorchester Road, Weymouth, from a 00:38 call on 20 September to 6.19pm. Police are part of the inquiry. · 8 min read 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. · 9 min read 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. · 13 min read 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. · 4 min read Tourism Dorset Tourism Awards 2026: The Finalists, Town by Town Birds of Poole Harbour won winner of winners at the Dorset Tourism Awards 2026; Nothe Fort and Summer Lodge took gold. Every winner, category by category. · 5 min read Bins Purbeck bin collection days change from 28 September Wareham, Swanage, Upton and Purbeck bin days changed from 28 September for 19,000 homes. Check your new day by postcode on Dorset Council's lookup. · 2 min read 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. · 2 min read 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. · 9 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 2 min read 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. · 3 min read 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. · 4 min read 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. · 5 min read 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. · 2 min read Water Dorset Hosepipe Ban: In Force Unless Bournemouth Bills You Yes, most of Dorset is under a hosepipe ban: Wessex Water and South West Water. Bournemouth Water has none. The 11 banned uses and the £1,000 fine. · 12 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 6 min read Weymouth Abbotsbury Road Weymouth: 12 Weeks of Lights from 7 Sep Temporary signals where Abbotsbury Road meets Chickerell Road stay until 27 November. Both roads now shut overnight from 23 to 27 November, not 9 to 16. · 4 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 6 min read 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. · 4 min read 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. · 7 min read 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. · 3 min read 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. · 2 min read