News

There have already been six significant wildfires within 15 miles of Beaulieu this year, in addition to smaller fires. The latest, near the A31 at Ringwood, is still being tackled today. Last night, a separate fire in Holbury also spread from vegetation to vehicles and neighbouring homes.

With the Forest currently exceptionally dry, we encourage residents to take a few simple precautions now:

• Know what you would do if a fire approached, and follow instructions from the emergency services.
• Keep access to your property clear and make sure your house number is easy to see.
• Consider having a HEPA air purifier ready, particularly for use in a room where you can keep windows and doors closed if smoke reaches the village. It is much better to have one available before smoke arrives than to try to buy one during an incident.
• Sign up for UK Emergency Alerts and keep an eye on local fire-service updates.

If you see a fire in the countryside, move to safety and call 999 immediately. Do not attempt to tackle it yourself or travel towards it.

We are also preparing a Wildfire Preparednesspage on the Beaulieu Parish Council website, bringing together practical advice on preparing your home and garden, what to do if a fire occurs, and useful emergency information. We will provide a link to this fuller guidance when it is available.

For further national guidance in the meantime, see the National Fire Chiefs Council's Wildfire Awareguidance: Prepare and Protect Against Wildfires

The current hot, dry weather means there is a very high risk of fire across the New Forest.

Please avoid lighting bonfires or using barbecues at this time, as even a small spark can quickly lead to a serious wildfire. Take extra care with anything that could cause a flame, including cigarettes and discarded litter.

If you see a fire, or believe there is an immediate danger, move to a safe place and call 999, asking for the Fire and Rescue Service. If possible, give the operator an accurate location.

Thank you for helping to protect our community and the New Forest.

Hello and welcome to the July 2026 Beat Report for the New Forest Heart area. Your team is PC 24901 Mark ROBERTS, PC 27901 Stuart READHEAD and PCSO 14495 Richard WILLIAMS.

August is the holiday season for most of us, including the New Forest Heart Police Team, so we don’t hold any of our usual Beat Surgeries. As we always say, if you need to speak to us you can always call or email us, but to report a crime or any anti-social behaviour dial 101 or go the Hampshire and IOW Police website. Of course, if it’s an emergency always call 999. Normal service will be resumed in September but we are holding several bike marking sessions in August across the Forest.

Bring your bikes to us and we will security mark them for you for free and add them to the National Bike Register. The dates in August are: 

·         Ringwood Gateway Town Centre on Thursday 13th August from 1pm to 2pm

·         Lymington Train Station on Wednesday 12th August from 10am to 11am

·         Lyndhurst Police station on Friday 14th August between 11am to midday

·         Totton Police station on Wednesday 19th August between 2pm and 3pm

·         Brockenhurst Bike Shop on Friday 21st August from 10am and 11am.  

In July, six bicycles were stolen, all from Brockenhurst. Two from a hotel car park and the other four from Brookley Road. These bikes were locked up but still stolen so the best way to protect your bike is to take something with you like a wheel or the saddle, or leave one of your party with them. We regularly patrol the areas where most bikes are stolen from but of course, we can’t be there all the time.

Four shopliftings were reported to us, three of them on the same day on the High Street in Lyndhurst and the other one at Tesco in Brockenhurst. We have some excellent CCTV footage and our investigations into identifying those responsible are ongoing.

Attempts have also been made to steal from three vehicles parked overnight in the car park of a hotel on the Rhinefield Ornamental Drive, a motorbike from a pub car park in Emery Down and a van from a driveway in Cadnam. Cooking oil was also stolen from a pub in Cadnam.

And a reminder to watch out for picket pockets at the summer shows and events that are coming up during the holidays – always keep your wallets and purses close to your body and never put anything valuable in your back pack because that makes stealing them really easy for thieves.

We are getting lots of reports of motorbikes being ridden off road in the Forest at Boltons Bench and behind the cemetery in Lyndhurst and on the roads around Ashurst, Woodlands and Fletchwood Lane. Please help us identify these riders so that we can stop them before someone gets hurt or more damage is caused to the New Forest. If you see one of these bikes going to and from a location in the area, please let us know. You can email us directly or let us have the information completely anonymously via Crimestoppers. Just go to their website for all the details.

We held another one of our multi-agency operations aimed at tackling vehicle crime, fly-tipping and improving road safety this month, this time at Crockford Clump Inclosure on the B3054 between Beaulieu and Lymington. The operation, known as Operation Wolf, brought together officers from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, New Forest District Council and Forestry England. Operation Wolf was established in response to an increase in fly-tipping incidents across the New Forest and combines the powers and expertise of partner agencies to detect offences, disrupt criminal activity and deter those responsible. During the operation, 14 vehicles were stopped and checked. Two drivers were issued notices requiring them to produce a valid Waste Carrier Licence within the next 14 days. In addition to tackling waste-related offences, Operation Wolf provides opportunities to identify illegal vehicle use, check for stolen tools, trailers and plant machinery, and ensure vehicles using the road network are safe and roadworthy.

During July’s Op Mountie session, we only stopped four motorists for breaking the 40 mph speed limit outside the Setthorns Campsite on the road between the Wilverley Inclosure and Sway. Op Mountie is our multi agency approach to reducing speed and animal accidents across the New Forest and again this month’s results show that most people do slow down and take extra care, so thank you. Thanks also to Forestry England, the New Forest Roads Awareness Team and the New Forest National Park Authority who join us on these operations and spend time with each driver educating them about why the roads across the New Forest are so unique and why we all need to be extra vigilant. The Safer Road Unit’s motorbikes were out in the Forest supporting us again in July. They recorded 9 speeding offences on the Roger Penny Way and 6 on the Lyndhurst to Beaulieu road at Matley and the top speeds were 54mph and 49mph

Stay safe everyone

Your local Police team are:

richard.williams@hampshire.police.uk   07554 775469

mark.roberts.240This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.ice.uk   07392 314340

We are still seeking applications from local residents who are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor and helping to shape the future of Beaulieu. If you care about our community and would like to make a positive contribution, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please click here to download our application form and find out more about the role. Applications remain open until the vacancy is filled.

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