New powers to try to prevent devastating fires on Dorset heathlands come into force this summer.

Dorset Council is introducing a new open land anti-social behaviour related public space protection order from July 1, a move that will give authorities an additional measure in trying to prevent wildfires.

The order means it is an offence to light a fire of any kind in Ringwood Forest and Wareham Forest.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, which had to tackle a huge blaze at Wareham Forest in 2020, has backed the move.

Assistant chief fire officer, Andy Cole, said: "Every year, we see large areas of our beautiful countryside destroyed by fire and, in far too many cases, this is down to people not taking care with campfires or disposable barbecues.

"We have been working with our partners in the police and local authorities to tackle this problem, and these new measures are a welcome step towards limiting the potential for other fires starting this way in the future.

"Everyone can play their part in protecting our heathlands and open spaces, and we are again reminding people to not have campfires and take a picnic rather than use a disposable barbecue.

"Fire can spread with devastating speed, so we all need to do our bit to minimise the risks as far as possible."

The PSPO means anyone caught by patrols carried out by the council and Forestry England will face a £100 fine.

Forestry England already had a ban on any kind of disposable barbecues and fires on its land.

Cllr Laura Miller, portfolio holder for customer and community services at Dorset Council said: "Dorset Council has a key role to play in helping to make sure our public spaces can be used and enjoyed by everyone.

"We don't want to prevent or stop people from enjoying themselves responsibly, but we know how anti-social behaviour can impact our communities and we need to ensure we have measures and tools in place should we need them."

A BCP Council spokesperson said there are no active PSPO's in the conurbation regarding barbecues although a review is currently underway.

The spokesperson said: "Instead we use legislation under the CROW Act to enforce a ban on BBQs on heathlands."