Dorset schools closed and travel disrupted due to rain

A series of landslips covered the roads at West Milton with mud and debris

Heavy rain has brought disruption across Dorset with schools closed and public transport cancelled.

A rail replacement bus service serving stations in the north of the county has been suspended.

Several schools in Beaminster, Bridport, Blandford and Dorchester were closed throughout the day, with lessons moving online.

In Bridport, a building firm has been handing out sandbags after the town council's supply ran out.

In West Milton, the main route through the village is closed after an earlier landslip covered the road with mud and debris.

Resident Lisa Stamper Hughes said there was "a big bank of soil right on the blind bend".

The fire service urged motorists not to drive through floodwater

The Mapperton Muddle 10k, scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed.

Organisers White Star Running said: "As things stand right now, the first and last three miles are not runnable, walkable or drivable.

"A section of road has collapsed in one of the villages and is not passable.

"What this means is that we would not be able to get any medical support to those parts of the course."

Dorset Council said a number of roads were closed

Replacement buses service between Salisbury and Yeovil were cancelled for the whole day, leaving no service at Tisbury, Gillingham, Templecombe, Sherborne and Yeovil Junction.

First Wessex buses said "severe flooding" had affected a number of its routes, with some services cancelled and others diverted.

Beaminster School was among those moving lessons online due to "difficulty with school transport".

Bridport Building Supplies stepped in to help after Bridport Town Council's supplies of sandbags ran out, offering 10 free empty bags for those living within a 15km radius.

Environment Agency teams have been checking river levels in Dorchester

Dorset Council said a number of road closures were in place and there were severe delays on major routes because of flooding.

On Thursday afternoon, it said Lower Road in Toller Pocorum was blocked by vehicles stranded in the floodwater and the A35 was closed westbound at Morden due to "multiple accidents".

Seventeen flood warnings were in place across Dorset on Thursday afternoon.

The Upper Frome from Maiden Newton to Dorchester, the Lower Frome from East Stoke to Wareham and the Lower Stour from Sturminster Marshall to Christchurch are among the areas where flooding is expected.

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