ORGANISERS have announced that the popular Dorset Dinghy Day event will not take place this year.

The event, which takes place on the River Stour, was cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year, organisers have said that the cancellation is due to an inability to secure permission.

A spokesperson said: “You may have noticed we have been quiet in the build up to the event this year. We have been working behind the scenes to make this year’s event a success in a post-covid world.

“However, even with lockdown restrictions lifting, organising an event of this scale has become far more challenging.

“Unfortunately we have not been able to secure permission from several key organisations, including BCP Council, for this event to go ahead.”

The free annual event was due to take place this weekend on Saturday, August 21.

The spokesperson added: “We understand this is last minute, and we are deeply sorry for that. We were confident we would be able to make the event work, sadly we were wrong.

“After the last 18 months we wanted nothing more than this year’s event to bring some much needed joy.

“However, we are not able to guarantee this event would be able to be held in a manner that safeguarded the well-being of the attendees, the local community and the environment.”

Organisers vowed that the event would be back for the “biggest, best and wettest Dorset Dinghy Day ever” in 2022.