THOUSANDS of jobs will be at risk in Dorset if Britain votes to quit the EU today.

That's the stark message from Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.

In an interview with the Daily Echo on the eve of poll, he said the country "must not sleepwalk" into Brexit.

"Bournemouth, Poole and the whole of Dorset will be stronger and more prosperous if we stay. Leaving the EU will means the loss of jobs, higher property and pensions being hit.

"It is not a price we can afford to pay. We cannot take the risk, with the future of the economy, the country and the future of our children and grandchildren.

"The Leave campaign has not made any kind of case on the economy and it is even clearer after the debates this week, they do not have a plan to control immigration.

"You certainly don't deal with the issue of migration by wrecking the economy."

Mr Osborne who was at JP Morgan at Chaseside three weeks ago addressing some of the 4,000 staff there, said the bank's global chief Jamie Dimon had already warned of the huge consequences of Brexit.

And the Chancellor said as many as 3,500 jobs could be lost across the Dorset economy as a whole.

He rejected the "narrow minded and mean spirited" politics and vision of the likes of Nigel Farage and urged voters to do the same.

He added: "If you have any doubts at all, if you are not sure, then please go out and vote to remain.

"We simply can't take the risk. If the country votes to leave, we will regret it for the rest of our lives."

The Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, also spoke to the Echo yesterday.

He said: “It is extraordinary to go into European meetings and sit with not just France and Germany but countries which not long ago did not have the vote at all, and countries which have been fighting very recently like Croatia.”

Mr Fallon said EU membership gave the UK more options to exert influence internationally, citing the sanctions imposed on Russia for its intervention in the Ukraine in 2014.

“It is interesting that there isn’t a single NATO defence minister, a single ally or Commonwealth country that wants us to leave.”

He added: “Leaving the EU is a huge gamble with our future, with our children’s future and with our security.