Several Dorset towns have introduced 20 mph speed limits.  For example, 5 Weymouth roads now have 20 mph speed limits.  ​The scheme aims to make roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Parish and town councils have been able to apply for the changes following the introduction of a Dorset Council policy published last year, external.

Emergency crews are at the scene of a heath fire in Dorset that started on Monday evening.  About 50 firefighters from nine stations tackled the blaze, reported at about 17:40 BST, near Winfrith Newburgh.
It comes as Yellow Heat Health Alert has been issued for many parts of England, including the south. ​The public have been urged to avoid the area.

Climate change is dramatically increasing the frequency of extreme high temperatures in the UK, new Met Office analysis has confirmed.
Its annual State of the Climate report says data from 2023 shows the country is experiencing significantly more really hot days.
Its observations suggest there has been an increase in the number of really wet days too, such as the prolonged and heavy rain Storm Babet brought to wide areas of the country in October last year.
The report finds the UK is also seeing a 40% increase in the number of what the Met Office describes as “pleasant” days - those with temperatures of 20C or more – and has become 9% sunnier over the last few decades.
Those changes may sound positive, but the UK’s shifting climate represents a dangerous upheaval for our ecosystems as well as our infrastructure.

Dorset Council anticipate by 2030 a third of cars on our roads will be electric and are working with chargepoint installers and operators to get more EV chargers installed in the county. The aim is to get 80 per cent of Dorset households within a 10-minute walk of a public chargepoint. So far, over 135 chargers have been installed across the county, but they’re always on the lookout for new locations. 
If your community could benefit from a chargepoint, you can suggest possible locations on the Council's website.
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A decision on the controversial waste to energy incinerator is due after the new Parliament's summer recess. Campaigners at Stop Portland Waste Incinerator have asked residents to write to their MP to express their concerns and to complete the online Final Consultation which closes on 11th August.
Further information can be obtained from [email protected] 

Newly-elected MP for Mid Dorset and Poole, Vickki Slade has called on Wessex Water and the Environment Agency to launch an urgent investigation into water quality at Eye Bridge, near Wimborne on the River Stour.  Ms Slade was alerted by residents of a potential pollution episode which has apparently caused children to feel unwell and to have killed swans and fish.
The Environment Agency reported that water quality was within normal ranges.