A technical issue stopped 101 calls from being connected to the police service. 

Dorset Police issued a statement this morning that the service was experiencing "technical difficulties" with its 101 telephone number. 

101 is the non-emergency contact number for the police force.

At 12.14pm, the service confirmed that the issue was resolved.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: "Dorset Police would like to advise members of the public that the technical difficulty with the 101 non-emergency telephone number that we experienced earlier today has now been resolved.

"The emergency number 999 was not affected.

"We would like to thank the public for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience the fault may have caused."