BEACH-goers of the future could be charged for the privilege of stretching out on the sands and using seafront facilities, a tourist chief has revealed. But public contributions towards the running costs of resorts would ensure that British beaches are
FORMER Came Down captain Brian Hansford booked himself a place in the sun when he won the Dorset Echo Sunshine Challenge Match Play final at Wolfedale Golf Course at Charminster. The six handicapper beat Weymouth Golf Club's Neil Paul (17 hcap) 3 and
THE man and woman who died in an air crash at Lymington are believed to have come from the Brighton area. Mystery surrounds the exact timing of the crash on a field rented by a local farmer from Lord Teynham of Pylewell Estate, South Baddesley. The wreckage
ON-STREET parking charges are likely to be introduced in Swanage and Wareham by Dorset County Council. The pay and display fees will be similar to the nearest off-street car park but local residents will have the option of buying a £60-a-year parking
IN a world in which Escape To Victory is routinely (and not always ironically) hailed as The Great Football Film in the World... Ever!, it's safe to say that football films suffer a bit of credibility gap. While it's hardly a work of art, Goal! does at
THERE'S much to be said for a good story well told and director John Singleton sets out such a stall in this commendably straightforward tale of revenge in the rundown suburbs of Detroit. Grey-haired granny figure Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan) is
THE postal service in Poole has got better over the past year, reflecting a national trend. In April 2004, the Daily Echo reported post was being delivered late and misdirected. Then in July last year bundles of letters were found dumped and undelivered
WEYMOUTH could soon boast a world champion among its sporting stars. Top triathlete Abi Bayley is plotting an assault on the World Half Ironman Championships in America. She qualified for the event, in Florida next year, after an impressive performance
HERE'S one straw house the Big Bad Wolf won't be able to blow down. Parents helped build the new classroom at Sturts Farm using "bricks" made of straw with a rigid, weatherproof covering - another step along the way to the community's wish to be as environmentally
MORE than 60 jobs are under threat today after a Weymouth-based company went into administration. Ocean To Earth, with nine branches including one in St Mary Street, Weymouth, sells surf and lifestyle clothing. Owner Rob Cross said more than 60 jobs were
HE'S flown missions all over the world - and now a trip to 10 Downing Street is the next assignment for one Dorchester man. Squadron Leader Keith Hewitt was among 19 airmen who flew to the aid of a stricken Russian submarine pinned to the ocean floor
A LITTLE bird is causing a stir in Weymouth after being blown across the Atlantic by recent hurricanes battering the United States. Hundreds of birdwatchers have turned out at Radipole Lake in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Pectoral Sandpiper. Stuart
A HOUSING crisis in Christchurch has left no room in the town for homeless families when their temporary stay in holiday caravans at Highcliffe ends later this month. Part-time clerk and mother of two Sarah Gallagher is among eight families who face being
FANS of cult classic Star Trek are in for a real ball next year, as Captain Kirk himself is set to beam into Bournemouth. William Shatner, who starred as James T Kirk in the original TV series, will be the guest of honour at the annual SF Ball to be held
ANGRY residents vented their frustration at the planning rules that allowed a mobile phone mast to go up unchallenged in Bournemouth. A well-attended public meeting in St Saviour's Church, Iford saw dozens of residents express their dismay that there
AN ordinary family man goes to work each morning and comes home every night to put food on the table for his wife and young family. It's the decent thing to do. Then, one day, two guys hold up the diner he owns and threaten the staff with guns. The man
THE oldest friend of a 41-year-old missing mother has appealed for her to call home. Hospital receptionist Emma Palmer was last seen by her family more than three weeks ago. Friend of 31 years Imogen Banks, also 41, from Bank in the New Forest, was at
THE new boy at Sturminster Newton is hoping he can re-open the town's police station. Canadian-born Alan Jenkins has recently taken over as section commander at Sherborne - which makes him the inspector for Sturminster Newton. He served 10 years in Merseyside
LIFEBOATS were launched a record 682 times in the south this summer and Poole volunteer crews and Bournemouth lifeguards were among the busiest. This was 79 launches more than in June, July and August last year and four more than in 2003 - the busiest
FOOTBALL legend and one-time Cherries player George Best was last night fighting for life in the intensive care unit of a London hospital. Best, who joined AFC Bournemouth in 1983, is currently receiving treatment for an infection in the private Cromwell
BASED on the book by Maurice Gee, In My Father's Den is a slow-burning character study, which proves the person you set out to be is seldom the person you become. Seventeen years after he fled New Zealand to escape his tyrannical father, award-winning
ROB Schneider's hapless male prostitute returns to his womanising ways in this comedy sequel, which abandons sunny Malibu for the red lights and clogs of Amsterdam. Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo is unremittingly crass, bludgeoning the viewer with toilet
HAMPSHIRE-BASED cable operator NTL is squaring up to BSkyB and BT by taking over rival Telewest for $6 billion (£3.4 billion). The long-anticipated merger will create the largest provider of residential broadband services in the UK. The NTL/Telewest merger
NEIGHBOURS confronted their local landlady during a hotly fought licensing bid over two Park Street pubs. The Duke of Albany and The Prince of Wales in Weymouth's Park district applied to change their licences at a meeting of Weymouth and Portland Borough
ENVIRONMENTAL issues were thrashed out as campaigners against gravel extraction aired their grievances to Milford councillors last night. More than 70 worried residents heard the chairman of Downton and Milford Against Gravel Extraction (DAMAGE), Jim
