ACTION is being taken to reduce the influx of people with drink and drug problems into Boscombe. Locals have long feared that the number of rehabilitation centres in the area was attracting problems into the town. Now the council-led Bournemouth Drugs
A DRIVER involved in a horrific crash which killed three young people had been using his mobile phone seconds before impact, an inquest heard. Lee Jones was travelling on the wrong side of the road, had been drinking and confessed he was speeding at the
BASHLEY could consider themselves desperately unlucky not to have taken maximum points from their vital Dr Martens Eastern Division home game with Stamford, which ended goalless. Stamford currently occupy seventh place in the league, a position Bash themselves
BOURNEMOUTH came off second best in their friendly with Southampton in an entertaining encounter at Chapel Gate. Despite running in three early tries and looking like they would canter to victory, a glut of injuries allowed the visitors to rack up the
OAKMEADIANS' seconds scored a satisfactory 27-7 victory over Sherborne's first XV while their junior ladies slipped to an agonising 39-15 defeat in the semi-final of the Ladies Junior National Cup, southern region. Bishop, Stewart and McLaren touched
ELMORE 1 BRIDPORT 0 BRIDPORT'S abysmal record against the league's strugglers continued when they slumped to defeat at Horsdon Park last night in the Screwfix Direct Premier Division. Having already lost to lowly Dawlish, Devizes and Melksham this season
MARK HARGREAVES tuned up for the London Marathon with an emphatic win in the Mad March Hare 20-mile race at Christchurch. The Bournemouth AC star posted an impressive 1 hr 51 min 40 sec as he prepares a bid to retain his over-40 title in the capital.
ANDREW Thornton pledged his allegiance to Dorset challenger Kingscliff as the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup betting was thrown into confusion following the tragic death of Jair du Cochet. Thornton, who returned on Monday from a five-week absence with a broken
THOUSANDS of visitors are expected at the BIC today (March 10) for day two of the Bournemouth Hotel & Catering Exhibition. Ready Steady Cook TV chef Brian Turner donned boxing gloves and burst though a large paper strawberry to promote the show's
BOURNEMOUTH teenager Marie Blake is producing her own musical show in memory of her late father. She is presenting the show along with her singing teacher Liz Ferrie of Curtain Up Productions. Called Thanks For the Memory after her father Robert Blake's
WEST Dorset is a great place to live, a new survey has revealed. Results just out from the West Dorset triennial residents' satisfaction survey reveal the district is bucking national trends, with the majority of people satisfied not only with the district
WEYMOUTH harbour is becoming more and more popular for visiting yachts, according to a borough council report. The number of visitor nights during April to December last year jumped 16 per cent to 6,618, up from 5,685 for the same period in 2002. The
COMPELLING NEED FOR ISLAND SUPERMARKET I WAS disappointed to read in the Echo that despite the pressure, a supermarket for Portland is being recommended for rejection by the borough council. There is a compelling need for a supermarket to serve the island
THE mystery of who painted two 'grotesque' portraits owned by Dorset County Museum appears to have been solved. Museum chiefs appealed last month for information on who was behind the paintings of two unknown women copied from frescos painted on the walls
THREE Christchurch people were lucky to escape with their lives after fire spread into their loft from an empty house next door. The Scott family got out of 28 Slinn Road, Somerford, before the fire spread to their bedrooms and the roof burned away. Number
GOVERNMENT approval to allow genetically modified maize to be grown in the UK has been met with fierce opposition in Dorset. Anti GM campaigners who protested through years of trials including those at Blandford, Sherborne and Puddletown said yesterday's
CHERRIES chairman Peter Phillips has admitted he had mixed feelings over boss Sean O'Driscoll being linked with the vacant manager's position at Plymouth. O'Driscoll is reported to be one of the names in the frame to replace Paul Sturrock who left Home
TODAY is National No Smoking Day and a hit squad is out on the streets to drive home the message and encourage people to give up the habit. And if you've quit during the past year you could be in line for a £100 prize. The Bournemouth SmokeStop team is
POLICE horses are being brought to Bournemouth in what police deem another weapon in their armoury to reduce late-night violence. With a total capacity for 35,000 drinkers per night in the town and thousands spilling from pubs and clubs in the early hours
A FORMER murder detective believes he has succeeded where a famous Bournemouth policeman failed by unlocking the secrets of the Jack the Ripper mystery. Dorset has two links with the horrific Victorian crimes, having been home to both the key detective
A MOTHER believes it is only a matter of time before someone dies trying to cross the road outside the new Castlepoint shopping centre in Bournemouth. Mum Caroline Patrick says she sees near misses daily between speeding cars and pedestrians trying to
THREE years ago this Friday, the deadline came and went for collecting the largest ever yet unclaimed lottery winnings. The ticket was bought in south Hertfordshire and was worth more than £3 million. Imagine the frantic searches through bags, coat pockets
A PURBECK farmer has been banned from keeping livestock for 10 years after being found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to cattle. Richard Cox, a farmer from Winfrith Newburgh, was found guilty of three charges of causing unnecessary suffering
HUGE changes to the way in which children are protected in Dorset are under way after the introduction of new government legislation. The Children's Bill, which was put together after the tragic death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie and launched last
WIMBORNE Town kept up the momentum of winning with an excellent 3-2 victory to keep the pressure on title favourites Winchester City. Wimborne took the lead in the opening period when Scott Arnold spread the play from the right wing to the left and Ryan
CHRISTCHURCH manager Peter Moore was disgusted with his side's performance, as they suffered a rare defeat in a 2-0 loss at Whitchurch, who are at the bottom of the Wessex League. Tom Hughes, he said, was the only player to come out of the game with any
HINCKLEY UNITED 1 DORCHESTER TOWN 0 A SECOND half revival failed to bring Dorchester a share of the points at Middlefield Lane last night after they were brushed aside by an impressive first half display from Hinckley. The Knitters went into the game
WEYMOUTH 1 MOOR GREEN 2 WEYMOUTH kept up the pressure on Crawley Town at the top of the Dr Martens Premier with a narrow 2-1 success over Moor Green last night. Despite a below-par performance, second half goals from Stephen Tully and Paul Buckle were
THE away-day misery that continues to dog Dorchesters chances of Conference qualification continued at Hinckley last night as they suffered their sixth defeat in a row away from the Avenue Stadium. And the post-match praise from Hinckley boss Dean Thomas
SUPER-SUB Mark Robinson helped Weymouth close Crawley's gap at the top of the Dr Martens Premier Division table to one point in a crucial 2-1 victory at Moor Green last night. The midfielder played a star role as the Terras completed a league double over
THOUSANDS of visitors are expected at the BIC today for day two of the Bournemouth Hotel & Catering Exhibition. Ready Steady Cook TV chef Brian Turner donned boxing gloves and burst though a large paper strawberry to promote the show's "packing a
EX-PIRATE Leigh Adams has paid tribute to RIAS Poole bosses Matt Ford and Mike Golding ahead of their season-opening clash against Swindon tonight (March 10 7.30pm). The 32-year-old Australian star helped spearhead the Dorset club to treble glory last
CAMPAIGNERS have lost an 18-month fight to stop a riverside housing development being built in Wimborne. Councillors yesterday gave the go-ahead for 34 new homes, including nine affordable units, on land off Station Road. But the scheme by Barratts was
IT WILL go down as one of the truly great nights of speedway at Poole Stadium. The fans started arriving at just after noon and the queue to get in was already forming at 1pm, six-and-a-half hours before tapes up. At 7pm, that queue was still winding
THURSDAY MARCH 11 Nine Below Zero + Renegade - Mr Kyps; Mr. Miagi + support - Mister Smiths; 150th Rubber Soul - The Hat + True Swamp Neglect + Kill Speed Kill - The Gander; Air Guitar - The Pines; Ugly Duckling + DJ Luke Smooth + Paris Payne - The Old
THE past few months have been a whirlwind of success stories for Katie Melua. The young singer-songwriter has gone from being a complete unknown to the UK's brightest new talent after scoring a number one with her debut album Call Off The Search and then
DORSET schoolgirl Samantha Barrett, 14, impressed the judges at Crufts, the world's biggest dog show. Samantha and Holly, a six-year-old collie shetland-sheepdog crossbreed, took part in the Young Kennel Club agility dog of the year final after coming
A 24-HOUR drum marathon and sponsored head shave were staged to help cancer sufferers. They were among a host of activities held at The Salvation Army Hall in Weymouth that raised £2,500 for West Dorset Breast Cancer Care and the chemotherapy unit at
IT IS never going to vie with Bournemouth or Brighton, but Milford seafront is to have a £300,000 facelift in time for the 2005 summer season. A stroll along Milford prom has always provided stunning views to the Needles and Christchurch Bay - in fair
COUNCIL taxes in the New Forest have been agreed with an overall increase of £66.49 for the average Band D property, taking the amount payable to £1,177.93. Major share of the tax will go to Hampshire County Council which wants £840.15 for Band D homes
FROM Great Escape to Grand Designs, an ultra-modern house once slammed by critics as looking like a prisoner of war camp is to be featured on the Channel 4 dream homes programme tonight(March 10). The designer des res now nearing completion at Avon Tyrrell
THREE Christchurch people were lucky to escape with their lives after fire spread into their loft from an empty house next door. The Scott family got out of 28 Slinn Road, Somerford, before the fire spread to their bedrooms and the roof burned away. Number
NEIL Moss has shrugged off the press speculation linking Sean O'Driscoll with the vacant manager's position at Plymouth Argyle, reports Steve Wilson. Paul Sturrock left the Division Two leaders to take over at Southampton last week and the Cherries boss
THREE Christchurch people were lucky to escape with their lives after fire spread into their loft from an empty house next door. The Scott family got out of 28 Slinn Road, Somerford, before the fire spread to their bedrooms and the roof burned away. Number
THERE are various things that can turn a simple trip to the shops into a nightmare. Most of these problems involve getting there and getting home. For example, there's the moment when you get back to the car park only to discover the machines don't accept
MISS England and Miss Dorset she may be, but beauty queen Jackie Turner is not going to miss a charity film premire in Christchurch. Model and personal trainer Jackie, 25, from Poole, is adding her glamour to the glitz of a gala reception at the Regent
