It was a resounding yes from the people of Dorchester as the Business Improvement District was voted in for another five years.

Manager of the Dorchester BID, Phil Gordon, said he was "overwhelmed" by the voting response for the organisation's second term.

Mr Gordon explained that a lot is being planned for the future of the town and wheels are in motion for a number of projects.

He said: "We were all absolutely delighted by such a positive response and the level of support we have in the town.

"We received support from more than 70 per cent of businesses in the town.

"We are now in a very privileged position of being able to support the town and help the businesses grow and develop.

"Our mission is to continue to work as we have done to get Dorchester on the map. Having Dippy here has made a significant difference to the town and we want to follow on from that and keep the momentum going."

Neil Strudwick, owner of Goldcrest Jewellers in the Hardye Arcade, has also been appointed as the new chairman of the BID.

First on the list for the BID's second term was launching free pubic wi-fi in the town centre.

As reported, Dorchester BID wanted to improve the town's patchy phone coverage and just last week, their ambition became a reality.

On the day of the launch there was more than 8,000 logins and more than 3,000 users.

The wi-fi was launched thanks to the help of Dorchester Town Council, West Dorset District Council, Dorset County Council and Brewery Square.

The network was installed by Dorset company Fusion WiFi and covers Dorchester’s main shopping streets, Brewery Square and the Borough Gardens.