Latest News

A35 Works - National Highways latest update

Week commencing 9 March 2026

from 9 to 13 March (8am-6pm) we'll be carrying out signage installation works under rolling multi-way traffic lights from Kingston Russell Dips to Monkey Jump roundabout. This stretch will be completed in stages.

from 9 to 13 March (8am-6pm) we’ll be carrying out civils improvement works under two-way traffic signals at Morcombelake.

from 9 to 13 March (8pm-6am) we’ll be carrying out speed camera installation under three-way traffic lights in Winterbourne Abbas.

In addition to the safety scheme activity, we will also be carrying out essential ash‑dieback removal works to protect road users and reduce future disruption:

· from 9 to 13 March (8pm-6am) a full overnight closure will be in place in both directions from the A35 at Axminster to Crown roundabout at Bridport. Traffic will be diverted via the A358 to Chard, the A30 to Crewkerne, the A356 to Misterton, and the A3066 through Beaminster to rejoin the A35 at East Road roundabout (and vice versa westbound). Local access will be maintained via Crown roundabout, Bridport.

· on 9 and 10 March (8pm-6am) two-way traffic lights will be in place at Taunton Cross junction.

We appreciate that there will be delays associated with the traffic signals and we thank road users and local communities for their continued patience while we carry out these safety improvements.

11/March/2026

Have your say - Proposed Fire Station closures Consultation

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Authority are proposing the closure of 4 stations in Dorset: Charmouth, Cranborne, Hamworthy and Maiden Newton.

Closes 15 May 2026.

FIND OUT MORE and SUBMIT A RESPONSE via the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue website.

11/March/2026

Letter from Network Rail regarding the Network Rail Wessex Route

OFFICIAL

Dear all,

In the Network Rail Wessex route, we are pleased to launch an innovative new email scheme to keep our lineside neighbours better informed about planned engineering, and noisy or disruptive work within the local community. As part of our ‘Digital Notification’ programme, where possible, more traditional neighbour notification letters will be replaced by emails – helping us get in touch more quickly and in a greener way.

For those who have signed up to the service, an email will be sent instead of a letter, containing all the information our lineside neighbours need to know about railway work taking place by their homes, but at a fraction of the cost and delivery time. Using the technology our community relations team can keep residents updated about any changes during ongoing work, as well as letting us contact individuals who would be affected by short notice (or emergency) works. Short-notice activity has always been a challenge for us, and we’re confident emails will allow us to be much more proactive in our communications.

This is a voluntary scheme and letters will continue to be sent to those residents without access to email so no one will lose out.

So far, we’ve thousands of neighbours already signed up in the Wessex route, but we would really appreciate your support in helping us stay in touch with our neighbours and communities. We’d be grateful if you could share the below link and the attached poster through your communications channels so we can continue to be a considerate neighbour and keep everyone informed of our work in the local area.

11/March/2026

Flooding

Significant rainfall fell across the Wessex area overnight, with some locations recording over 50mm. This follows two weeks of prolonged heavy rainfall and a succession of three named Storms – Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra. River levels are high across Wessex, and the impacts are being felt widely. We have included links to Dorset Council in our 'Essential Contact Information for Villagers' page if you need to report flooded gullies/drains/roads, as well as a link to reporting a flooded property.

The Environment Agency staff are working closely with emergency services and councils to respond. You can stay up to date on the latest flood warnings here: https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/. See the attached Environment Agency 'Flood Recovery Guide' with actions that anyone affected can take.

Reporting Flooding

Report flooding to the Environment Agency as soon as you can if your home or business has flooded. We understand it is a difficult time when people are affected by flooding however, we would encourage those affected to report property flooding as close to the event as possible: https://www.gov.uk/report-flood-cause Environment Agency Incident Hotline 0800 80 70 60.

Thank you to the villagers that have been out and about this morning helping remove debris from drains and providing assistance.

26/January/2026

A35 National Highways Strategy 2026

National Highways have provided the Parish Council with an update about the A35 strategy for 2026, including changes to speed limits. The attached document provides some additional information for you which may be useful if you need to travel to Dorchester, Charmouth, Honiton etc, as you may need to allow additional journey time.

Parish Council Vacancies

We currently have vacancies on the Parish Council for the following roles:

Parish Councillor

Parish Clerk (closing date 1st March 2026)

If you are passionate about making a positive difference in your local community and have time, skills and experience to offer, then we want to hear from you. Take a look at our Vacancies page for more info!

22/January/2026

Screenshot 2026-01-20 at 16.40_edited.jpg

Temporary Closure of North Road, Chideock -

27th January 2026.

The Parish Council have received notice from Dorset Council, under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, of the temporary closure of North Road, Chideock, to enable safe access for Wessex Water to replace a pipe. The notice is in force for 5 days from 27th January 2026 (0900-1700) however it is anticipated that works will be completed same day. See attached notice for more information.

A35 overnight closures -

19th January - 24th January.

The Parish Council have received notification from National Highways of the following overnight closures impacting Chideock, due to "signing, lining and civils improvements":

Full overnight closures (8pm – 6am) between Crown Roundabout, Bridport and Charmouth Roundabout in both directions. A signed diversion route will be in place during the closures.
Local access to properties within the closure extent will remain. Our gate crews are briefed on this and access will be from the Charmouth Roundabout side. If accessing from the East you will need to follow the diversion route to Charmouth Roundabout before using the A35 Eastbound.

Other A35 roadworks that may affect journeys: January 2026

19 January – 28 January (24/7):

From 8am on Monday 19 January 4 Way Traffic lights will be in place in Winterbourne Abbas to allow for improvements to the footway, pedestrian crossing and kerbs.

Week Commencing 26 January:

Daytime working - 8am start - Traffic signals & lane closures between Kingston Russell Dips and Winterbourne AbbasTraffic signals & lane closures between Charmouth Roundabout and Chideock.

24/7 Traffic Management (removed on 28 January, subject to the usual caveats) - 4 Way Traffic lights in Winterbourne Abbas to allow for improvements to the footway, crossing and kerbs.