TOP officers practised their response to a major incident in Dorset - by testing their processes if informed of the disastrous collapse of a key bridge.

Members of Dorset's resilience forum were told Iford Bridge had fallen into the River Stour during the workshop. In the scenario, more than 40 children on a coach, as well as a tanker carrying goods, were on the bridge at the time of the collapse.

The forum unites different agencies, which would need to cooperate during significant incidents.

Representatives from Dorset Police, the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, local authorities, the ambulance service, the coastguard and the RNLI were involved.

In February and March, major incidents were declared in Dorset after the Beast from the East brought heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures to the UK.

Robert Hart of the Dorset Civil Contingencies Unit said a huge number of organisations are involved during a major incident, from 'blue light' services to Highways England and voluntary groups.

"During the severe weather earlier this year, for example, a significant number of vulnerable people needed to be moved around the county for medical appointments and things like that," he said.

"While we coped well during the first period of bad weather, we identified there was more forward planning that could have been done.

"During the second snowfall, we'd grasped that information in advance and we were able to respond within a shorter timeframe to help more people."

During the exercise last week, responders were given the scenario of widescale flooding, with the Cooper Dean Roundabout, Swanage and Poole and Christchurch harbours all badly affected. Responders were then told the Iford Bridge had collapsed, with some fatalities.

Members of the forum decided how all agencies involved in such a disaster would react to minimise the threat to the public.

Mr Hart said taking part in such exercises helps the people making key decision be "better prepared for directing their organisation's resources and responders effectively".

Chief Superintendent Colin Searle from Dorset Police led the workshop.

He said: “By working together and getting to know our local resilience forum partners better on a personal level, as well as an organisational level, I firmly believe that Dorset responds really well when a significant incident is affecting the county.”

For more information about the forum, visit dorsetprepared.org.uk