THOUSANDS of people have yet again been affected by flooding after heavy rainfall throughout the country. And although the number of flood warnings in force has decreased, the danger is not over, as the Environment Agency has warned the ground is so saturated
I'M not really wild about Harry - not, that is, as a name for a new baby. My maternal grandfather was a Harry, a one-time butler - when, presumably, his employers would have dignified him with the name Harold, which didn't then have overtones of Steptoe
EAST Dorset Housing Association is the chosen partner for a proposed new social housing scheme in Purbeck. Purbeck district council is currently consulting tenants over the idea of transferring its stock of 1,650 homes to a new housing group made up of
BOLLYWOOD superstar Sanjay Kapoor toplines this well-received domestic drama that raises the standard of Indian film-making another notch. Audi9ences used to candy floss romances and heavily stylised representations of family life will find this a more
MINEKO entered the secret, now fading world of the geisha at four to be trained in arts such as singing, dancing, being nice to unpleasant people and mince-walking. Now 52 and retired, she's the first geisha in 300 years to shed light on the Japanese
SIXTEEN students are massacred at a school in the barbecue capital of Texas and 15-year-old Vernon's set to be roasted on the spit as the scapegoat. Its wit is raw but the substance's well covered with a dip of satirical sauce. ED PERKINS
DEEP thoughts emerged when scientists and philosophers met the Dalai Lama to discuss the emotions that drive the impulses that lead to violence. Glad I wasn't there. I'd have wanted to punch the nearest windbag after 10 minutes. ED PERKINS
Bridport 20 Milford 2 ON FORM Bridport opened up a gap between the likelihood of relegation and certain safety in Dorset Division Two. All members of the team were focused on putting in a match winning performance against a team who are struggling to
BRIDPORT men's team started the New Year in fine style, picking up 14 of the 16 points in the Wessex League against Stour Vale. At home, there were good all round performances from the rinks of John Hooper and Ken Hosking, winning by 15 and 9 respectively
THIS month's Bridport Leisure Centre Member of the Month is 17-year-old Kate Muncie. Superfit Kate has been a regular user of the centre for many years as part of her training as a swimmer and began swimming with the Bridport Barracudas at the age of
Dorset Senior Cup draw BRIDPORT'S players are relishing the prospect of coming up against Weymouth in the Dorset Senior Cup semi-final. The tie is set to be played at a neutral ground sometime in February or March and with the gate receipts halved, it
SEX can be a dangerous business, as consultant Dr Ainsley De Silva would agree. As the man in charge of a hospital department dealing with sexually transmitted diseases, very little surprises him. "I think patients think they can shock us, but we have
LYMINGTON and New Milton have voted overwhelming against a merger with New Forest neighbours Bashley. After it was confirmed last week that the chairmen of both clubs had already met informally and discussed possibly resurrecting merger negotiations,
TERRAS boss Geoff Butler will tell his players to forget all about boardroom wranglings ahead of tomorrow's clash home clash with Dr Martens Premier Division leaders Tamworth, kick-off 3pm. Matters on the park have been overshadowed this week by Ian Ridley's
MARTYN Sullivan could be back in a Weymouth shirt tomorrow. The former Dorchester winger, who had a spell on loan with the Terras from Forest Green Rovers two seasons ago, is expected to be in the squad to face Tamworth providing registration formalities
PORTLAND United will be out to complete a rapid Dorset derby double at Grove Corner tomorrow (3pm). After seeing off Wimborne Town in the quarter-finals of the Dorset Senior Cup on Tuesday, the Blues entertain Bournemouth Poppies in the Jewson Wessex
FORMER Terras trialist Lance Spencer is back in Dorchester Reserves squad to face Stourpaine at the Avenue Stadium tomorrow determined to show he is good enough to justify a contract with the Magpies. The son of former Yeovil striker Micky Spencer was
COUNCIL tax payers in Bridport will be asked to fork out, on average, an extra 6p a week towards the town council's budget from next April. Members of the finance committee agreed the "prudent" rise at their meeting on Wednesday. Councillors were presented
AMENDED plans for 13 cottages on the site of Bugler's engineering works in Hogshill Street, Beaminster, have failed to win the backing of the town council's planning committee. Councillors think the plans to convert the existing buildings to four homes
AN ELDERLY woman is living in fear of a gang of yobs who are attacking her Bridport home. The frail 84-year-old, who lives in sheltered accommodation at Flaxhayes, has been left terrified and distraught, according to her daughter, Sally Thackham from
THE next stage in finalising a blueprint for a major regeneration scheme at West Bay takes place next week. Detailed costings for a range of capital programmes planned to enhance the new multi million sea defence scheme will be considered by district
THE STANDARDS Board for England has confirmed that it will be investigating an allegation of misconduct made against Bridport Town Council leader Roger Draper by fellow councillor Charles Wild. The probe centres on whether it was ethical for Coun Draper
AMENDED plans for 13 cottages on the site of Bugler's engineering works in Hogshill Street, Beaminster, have failed to win the backing of the town council's planning committee. Councillors think the plans to convert the existing buildings to four homes
PIRATES co-promoter Matt Ford firmly believes this is going to be their Elite League title-winning year. The Poole Meridian Lifts chief and his partner Mike Golding have put together a really strong looking team that includes a formidable heat leader
SECURITY guards could soon be patrolling an East Dorset church after vandals smashed a stained-glass window in a late-night attack. Flowerpots from graves were among items hurled at the showpiece window behind the high altar of St Michael and All Angels
FORMER Weymouth councillor David Crosland has been found guilty of child pornography charges. He now faces jail and being placed on the sex offenders register. A jury of five men and six women took one hour and 15 minutes to return a unanimous verdict
THIEVES stole rugby skipper Dave Allan's false teeth after breaking into the team's changing rooms. They also snatched valuables worth hundreds of pounds including wallets, mobile phones, watches and cash while players from Weymouth were out for a training
OTTERS have returned to Radipole Lake reserve in Weymouth for the first time in years. Tracks were first seen a week ago in the upper reaches of the reserve along the River Wey and droppings used to mark the territory were found near one of the hides.
Student Gabrielle Townsend had her crowning glory chopped off to make a wig for a cancer patient in memory of her grandmother. Gabrielle, 18, from Icen Way, Dorchester, who is studying for her A-levels at Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester, swapped her
A Beaminster woman who knocked down a 79-year-old Bridport man - who later died from his injuries - has been convicted of careless driving after a two-day trial. Magistrates at Bridport decided that Vicky Louise Butler, 22, should have seen Gordon Simmons
A SHIP preparing to head to the Middle East for a possible war with Iraq has left Portland Port. Falklands veteran Sir Tristram, of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, is set to link up with sister ships Sir Galahad and Sir Percival before heading to the Middle
SILVER surfers are learning new tricks in the New Forest where nearly 400 retired folk have become web wizards over the past year through a special course organised by Brockenhurst College and the district council. As part of the course funded by the
MORE than 50 youngsters have been quizzed during a crackdown on unacceptably high levels of truancy in the New Forest. The two-day campaign was conducted as part of a national drive. Uniformed police officers teamed up with education welfare officers
LYME'S Marine Theatre looks set to be taken over on February 1, although the town council is stipulating that it must be registered as a charitable trust. The council, at a special meeting on Wednesday, was anxious not to hold up the theatre's transfer
A YACHT designed by a British woman in the 1930s is being built in the UK for the first time by students at the Lyme Regis international school of boat building. The Prima - a 22-foot, two berth, carvel built timber cruising yacht - was designed in 1937
A FIRST World War hero who was honoured with France's highest award, the Legion D'Honneur, has died at the age of 104. Albert George Malivoire was one of the 11 First World War veterans in Dorset to have received the prestigious French equivalent of a
AMATEUR sailor Barry Coulton from Christchurch has been forced to pull out of the Clipper Round the World yacht race. The company director blamed family reasons for his decision to quit the 15-man crew of the Bristol Clipper, currently lying in fourth
PROPOSALS to transform a defunct shopping parade into new homes have been flattened by councillors who say the buildings could still have a viable economic future. And the decision puts extra pressure on developers who have controversially put up steel
THE guardian of the baby abandoned in a Portuguese car park says he has grown into a happy, smiling toddler. A year has passed since the youngster was found dumped in his carrycot near Faro Airport. Charlie or Carlos, as he is known in the Portuguese
JOHN Malkovich's directorial debut is every bit as good as fans of the great actor had hoped. Based on Nicholas Shakespeare's fictionalised account of a South American country riddled with corruption, the film expertly blends suspenseful thriller, intense
8 Mile (15) Eminem, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer **** The controversial rapper makes a brilliant screen debut in this autobiographical tale of a Detroit trailer park white boy trying to rap his way out of poverty. UCI, ABC 28 Days Later (18) Cillian Murphy
FIVE years ago, nobody in Hollywood had heard of Jason Statham. The young Londoner was a member of the British national diving team and had just embarked on a fledgling modelling career. Then a lead role in Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels propelled
JUICILY-IRREVERENT collection by the funniest man dead, ranging from father telling Dudley about how mother got pregnant through sitting in a chair and had to sleep with Dirty Uncle Bertie to stop him getting up to anything, to the radio phone-in calls
RACHEL goes with friends on a hen week in Turkey but their emotional baggage gobbles the fun. One hasn't got over her own abusive marriage and the other can't take the plunge with her fiance. (They'd have been better off in Bournemouth, paintballing and
Borders' Student Discount day is fast approaching on Tuesday 21st January. So the Top Ten this week is representative of the reference books we sell throughout the year. 1. Schotts Original Miscellany - Ben Schott 2. English Vocabulary in Use - Michael
THE Mosterton B table tennis team are taking the Yeovil league by storm. Newly promoted this season, the Mosterton players have handed out a sound drubbing to all their opponents in Division Two, up to the half way stage. The closest anyone has come to
DORCHESTER boss Mark Morris aims to rekindle his side's promotion dreams by telling them to forget about going up. He says the fear of failure as they chase a top two finish in the Dr Martens Eastern Division for a second successive season has stopped
BRIDPORT manager Peter Conning is calling on his players to stand up to tougher opposition. The Bees begin a difficult run of games, particularly on the road, with a trip to Paulton Rovers' Athletic Ground tomorrow, kick-off 3pm. Rovers have been a consistently
WEYMOUTH Sports can get off the bottom of the Elite Teamwear Dorset Premier League tomorrow. Adie Chance's side face second from bottom Swanage Town and Herston at Cranford Avenue and the Sporties boss admits: "Basement battles don't come much bigger
PORTLAND referee Graham Masters was involved in a controversial double booking incident in a Jewson Wessex League clash between Eastleigh and Fareham. Former Cherries wing back Christer Warren's name went into Master's notebook twice in the first half
DORCHESTER skipper and wing forward Richard Elliott will lead his team into South West Division Two East against neighbours and former club Wimborne at Coburg Road tomorrow. And the mouth-watering Dorset derby could turned out to be a best of three decider
ROBERT ALNER'S run of ill luck has resurfaced with news that unbeaten chaser Sir Rembrandt is out for the season after sustaining a leg problem when scoring at Cheltenham last month. The injury is a further major setback for Dorset-based Alner, who also
CRIME might not pay - but combating it definitely costs money, Bridport town councillors agreed this week. Members of the finance committee were backing plans to increase local car parking charges to help pay for the town's new CCTV cameras. West Dorset
THE next stage in finalising a blueprint for a major regeneration scheme at West Bay takes place next week. Detailed costings for a range of capital programmes planned to enhance the new multi million sea defence scheme will be considered by district
A YOUNG Beaminster woman who knocked down a 79-year-old Bridport man who later died from his injuries was convicted of careless driving after a two-day trial this week. Magistrates at Bridport decided that Vicky Lousie Butler, 22, should have seen Gordon
A SENIOR administrator with Dorset County Council pleaded guilty to being unfit to drive while under the influence of drugs. Weymouth magistrates heard that Jacqueline Maynard, 33, of Fortuneswell, Portland, had taken prescribed and illegal drugs before
CHARITY worker John Eveleigh was fined £1,500 after the death of a motor-cyclist in a crash caused by a "lapse of concentration". Eveleigh, 67, of Church Lane, Portesham, was also banned from driving for a year and ordered to pay £35 costs after admitting
POLICE in Dorset are now investigating hundreds of men throughout the county as part of an anti-paedophile operation. Detectives are targeting the suspects after the launch of the world's biggest inquiry into child pornography - Operation Ore. A list
BUSINESS Link Wessex has launched a new dedicated telephone advice service to help small and medium-sized businesses. Although aimed primarily at SMEs, the team of advisers will offer free direct advice to all businesses in Dorset and Hampshire. One adviser
FEARS that the presence of press and public at sub-committee meetings would hamper the progress of the town council were expressed at a meeting of Lyme finance committee on Wednesday night. Two senior members, Owen Lovell and Ken Meech, were among councillors
THIRTY three per cent of the people who requested West Dorset holiday guides ended up visiting the area. A survey revealed that the majority of those who took part were much more likely to holiday in the area after using the internet than they were through
IT IS vital that Lyme Regis retains its holiday brochure, despite the undisputed advantages of internet advertising. That's the view of Lyme Regis, Charmouth and District Hotels and Restaurants Association, reported to the town publicity committee on
A LYME REGIS hotel that has stood empty for 13 years looks set to stay shut for years to come as coastal defence work in the town continues. The Three Cups Hotel on Broad Street is owned by brewers JC and RH Palmer and managed by Humberts commercial in
SPECIALLY-trained community officers are to patrol the streets of Lyme Regis over the summer to boost police coverage of the area during its busiest period. Two police community support officers (PCSOs) will be stationed in Lyme Regis and the surrounding
