Chideock Parish Council
Latest News
Public Notice - Temporary closure of North Road, Chideock - 5th May 2026
Dorset Council have notified the Parish Council of a Temporary Closure for North Road, Chideock on 5th May 2026. This is to enable Wessex Water safe access to repair a defect. Please see attached pdf for more details and the alternative route (which will be signposted as 'Carters Lane - A35'.
If you would like further information please call Dorset Highways Traffic team on 01305 221020.
A35 road closures - 2026
The A30/35 is currently operated and maintained under a Design, Build, Finance, Operate (DBFO) concession – in simple terms this is a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract.
On 30 September 2026, National Highways' contract with the DBFO Company will come to an end and the the responsibility for the day-to-day operation, maintenance, and renewal of the route will transfer to National Highways.
In preparation for the handover, the DBFO will be undertaking a significant renewals programme to ensure that the route meets the handback requirements written into their contract. National Highways are very aware that this means communities along the A30/35 need strong comms
between now and 1 October to ensure that there is clarity on the closures and how this might impact road users and residents. As shown in the attached graphic, the closures will be starting with the stretch between M5 J29 and Daisymount and then will shift east to reach the end of the route at Bere Regis. National Highways are aware that the route is somewhat split with the A30 from M5 – Honiton feeling much more strategic while the A35 from Honiton to Bere Regis brings with it much more nuanced community issues with more concerns around local access. Comms and messaging will be led by DBFO but National Highways will update the maintenance here. Once the closures move to the east of Honiton we will receive more detailed messaging with regard to works locations within the block closures and local access arrangements for those within the closure extents.
Traffic Management Notice - Seahill Lane, Seatown - 20th /21st April 2026
Dorset Highways have notified the Parish Council of a Temporary Traffic Management Notice for Seahill Lane.
If you would like further information:
• concerning access or the work being undertaken, please call Dorset Highways Operations on 01305 228100;
• concerning this notice please call Dorset Highways Traffic team on 01305 221020;
• concerning these and other roadwork’s in your area visit: www.roadworks.org
New evening bus service launching this summer!
A NEW evening bus service will be launched this summer, linking Lyme Regis and Bridport and the villages in between.
The service, called LB1, will start on Friday 1 May and will run every Friday and Saturday night until Saturday 26 September.
LB1 will start at Bridport bus station at 6.15pm and the last bus will leave Lyme Regis at 11.30pm, stopping at Chideock, Morecombelake and Charmouth.
There will also be the opportunity to link with the X53 service from Weymouth for the first two buses from Bridport and the last bus from Lyme Regis will travel back to Weymouth, offering even more flexibility for passengers.
The project for a late-night bus service was spearheaded by West Dorset Commons, who worked in partnership with Lyme Regis Town Council to secure a £20,000 grant from Western Gateway STB, the Sub-national Transport Body for the West of England.
For details of the Bus timetable please go Lyme Regis Town Council website http://bustimes.org/services/lb1-bridport-bus-station-holm-bush-car-park or the Chideock Community website www.chideockandseatown.co.uk
Temporary Traffic Regulation Order - Seahill Lane, Seatown - 20/21 April
Dorset Highways have notified the Parish Council of a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order for Seahill Lane. Please find the stakeholder information for planned Highways Maintenance works for Sea Hill Lane, Seatown attached.
Whilst these works are being completed, access to properties and businesses will be maintained as appropriate.
Dorset Highways may ask the public to wait for a short time whilst they move machinery or carry out a task.
Flooding support - community drop ins
The Environment Agency, Dorset Council and Wessex Water would like to invite you one of the drop in events that have been organised to talk about experiences, to speak to the relevant organisations about the support that might be available, and find out what homes and communities may be able to do to be better prepared for flooding in the future
Proposed Highways Maintenance Works - Quarr Lane, Symondsbury
Planned Highways Maintenance works at Quarr Lane, Symondsbury attached - 19th and 20th March 2026. Whilst these works are being completed, access to properties and businesses will be maintained as appropriate.
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A35 Works - National Highways latest update
Week commencing 9 March 2026
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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.
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from 9 to 13 March (8am-6pm) we’ll be carrying out civils improvement works under two-way traffic signals at Morcombelake.
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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.
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.
Register and sign up to digital notifications - Network Rail
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
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":
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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.
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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.