The government has awarded £65,000 to improve flood resilience in the upper River Piddle catchment area, near Dorchester, through its 'Frequently Flooded' allowance.

This injection will go toward supporting flood resilience and drainage schemes in the area, which will reduce flooding hotspots that have affected local communities on a regular basis.

West Dorset MP Chris Loder has welcomed the news.

He said: "I warmly welcome this injection to ensure our communities are as resilient as possible to the challenges posed by flooding and drainage, particularly as we are progressing so well on other areas of wastewater management like tackling pollution."

The £100million funding tranche as a whole was announced after the launch of the government's new Water Action Plan, which is intended to fast-track investments in wastewater infrastructure to tackle sewage pollution and a potential ban on polluting products, such as wet-wipes that contain plastic.

Mr Loder continued: "I look forward to continuing the government's track record of delivery on our waterways and will be working hard to ensure these fast-moving changes will also allow farmers and landowners affected by catchment related restrictions to resume their contributions to our local economy."