TOWN councillors want more local people to help in an emergency after experiencing 'a learning curve' during last month's evacuation in Lyme Regis.

Approximately 75 properties in Lyme Regis town centre were evacuated following a gas leak, with a refuge centre set up at Woodmead Halls.

Members of Lyme Regis Town Council's strategy and policy committee discussed the authority's emergency planning procedure last week - with concerns raised about a lack of helpers based in the town.

Cllr Stan Williams, who helped open Woodmead Halls during last month's evacuation, said: "It was two hours before we got anybody from county (Dorset County Council) to come forward.

"We need to work really hard to get something really proper in Lyme, We do need to do some more research on this and we do need local helpers, because it did fall on a few shoulders.

"There could be something more serious. If it takes them two hours to come from Dorchester, we need local people."

Dorset County Council co-ordinates any emergency plan in the county.

Cllr Daryl Turner, who represents Lyme Regis at town, district and county level, praised the 'amazing response' but urged for Lyme-based helpers and councillors to be more involved.

He said: "The reaction was exceptional.

"The community spirit was brilliant - it was amazing. It's what I would imagine the blitz spirit to be like.

"When we had the floods 18 months ago, the staff from DCC and West Dorset (District Council) couldn't get through.

"There is a need for member involvement. It was a learning curve. Nobody was hurt and you can look at it as a training session."

Deputy mayor Cllr Michaela Ellis, is also caretaker of the Woodmead Halls.

Cllr Ellis was asked to open Woodmead Halls during the incident, and said better communication is needed next time after people were left waiting for helpers to arrive.

"Had we known they wouldn't be there, we could have deployed our staff to taking names and addresses and things like that," she said.

"The people that were sat waiting to come and take those names and addresses were on standby at Bridport. Surely if you're going to put someone on standby, you put them where they are going at be - then they have everything ready to go."

It is possible that members of the town council may be able to take part in training or a run-through of the county's emergency procedure.

Simon Parker, head of emergency planning at Dorset County Council, said: "We had multi-agency emergency plans in place to deal with the situation, and feel these worked extremely well.

"Overall, it was a fantastic response from the local community and all the agencies involved."