THE number of registered voters in both Bournemouth and Poole increased by more than a thousand over the last year, the latest figures show.

And in Dorset the increase was more than 2,000.

The data, released annually by the Office for National Statistics, reveals the number of electors in each local authority area.

It shows that on December 1 last year 144,907 people were on Bournemouth’s electoral roll, 1,359 more than 12 months previously.

There were 115,935 people on Poole’s electoral roll, an increase of 1,465.

And there were 333,000 people were on Dorset’s electoral roll, 2,307 more than in 2016.

The past two years have seen some major political events, including the EU referendum in June 2016, and the snap election a year later resulting in a hung parliament.

One of the stories of that election was the so-called ‘youthquake’ across the UK which was reported to have helped Jeremy Corbyn and Labour stop the Conservatives winning a majority.

The latest roll suggests interest in politics has been fairly consistent among young voters.

The Bournemouth register includes 689 attainers – people who have registered because they turn 18 before December this year. The previous register for December 2016 included 749 attainers.

For Poole last year’s figure was 978 attainers, and 2016’s was 931.

In Dorset, the number of attainers has decreased slightly from 2,391 in 2016 to 2,192 last year.

In 2013 the government changed the way people registered to vote.

Previously the head of the household could register everyone at the address, however the coalition government introduced a law which required individuals complete the process themselves.

Last week new research suggested that interest in politics has reached a 25-year high.

The British Social Attitudes Survey, by the National Centre for Social Research, found that 43 per cent of voters were ‘quite or very interested’ in politics.

The authors believe it is due to the controversy surrounding Brexit, as well as Mr Corbyn’s supposedly ‘left wing populist’ brand of politics.

Other factors may be at play.

The population has risen across the county, and is predicted to increase dramatically in the next few years.

Office of National Statistics estimates suggest Bournemouth’s population will have increased by whopping 11.4 per cent over the 10 years to 2024, chiefly, and unusually for Dorset, due to net international immigration.

Over the same period from 2014-24, according to Government estimates, Poole’s population will have increased by 7.1 per cent, Christchurch’s by nine per cent, East Dorset’s by 5.3 per cent, North Dorset’s by 6.2 per cent and Purbeck’s by 3.8 per cent.

This is chiefly due to migration from within the UK.