THERE was anger last night after it emerged that some convicted sex offenders, including Bournemouth's William Gibson, will not be automatically banned from teaching. Education secretary Ruth Kelly stated yesterday that nobody with a conviction or caution
WHILE their singer Preston plays the fame game every night on our TV screens as a housemate in Celebrity Big Brother, his fellow Ordinary Boys are left to get on with the business of being in a band. Sales of the band's two albums have reportedly increased
MARK Morris says the next six matches will determine whether his side has what it takes to get into the Nationwide South play-offs. That sequence begins with tomorrow's visit to Bishop's Stortford, who are currently the lowest placed of the Magpies next
KIRK Jackson is confident his nightmare run in front of goal will soon end. The Terras striker has gone 14 games without finding the net ahead of tomorrow's visit of Histon to the Wessex Stadium in Conference South (3pm). The former Yeovil Town man insists
THE government review into possible privatisation of Britain's non-profitmaking or "trust" ports - including Poole - is due to start within months. Poole is Britain's fourth largest trust port after London, Dover and Newcastle. Under trust status, profits
ORGANISERS have made a last-minute appeal to businesses to support a concert this weekend by giving £10. If businesses or individuals can cover the costs of staging the 12-hour Weysia gig this Sunday at the Pavilion through sponsorship then every penny
FURIOUS villagers in Pimperne, near Blandford, claim planners have ignored their fears about traffic chaos when drawing up proposals for a new school. Dozens of parents and locals turned out to inspect the county council's proposals for a building on
DORSET'S homeowners are still sitting on a goldmine. House prices in the county remain the highest in the South West, despite a fall in values over the past year. An average house will now set you back nearly £210,000, well above the UK average of £166,000
BOURNEMOUTH is experiencing a flat explosion, with apartments accounting for 92 per cent of all new properties built in the past year. Figures reveal that just 66 new houses and 21 bungalows were built during 2004-2005 compared to 1,014 new flats. In
THE head of Wareham Middle School may be forced to install surveillance cameras to counter the threat of vandalism after a group of yobs damaged school property. Vandals forced the cancellation of sporting fixtures and caused more than a thousand pounds
VULNERABLE and elderly Poole residents are being helped to stay safe in their homes. Dorset Fire and Rescue Service is offering home safety checks to those deemed most at risk, a move which has been welcomed by Cllr Mrs Joyce Lavender, Poole's champion
THE fight is on to save an East Dorset pub from demolition and it looks like residents might have temporary cause to celebrate. A planning application to demolish The Fayrewood pub in Verwood and build six houses and a block of eight flats in its place
HUNDREDS of bikers turned out at a village church to pay tribute to a motorcycle champion who died just two days after his mother. They turned out at Owermoigne church alongside mourners to pay their last respects to Garry Makepeace, who lived in the
WITHIN the next 15 years a third of Dorset County Council employees will retire, says a new report. Thirty-four per cent of the council's workforce is over 50, said corporate services director Elaine Taylor in her report to the staffing committee. In
A LACK of enthusiasm and extra work and family commitments have prompted a Portland town councillor to resign for the second time. At a meeting of the island town council Kris Haskins resigned after several years in local politics. Mr Haskins, who was
THE worst could soon be over for Dorchester's hard-pressed shoppers and motorists. The pledge has come from West Dorset's top planning officer David Evans as he outlined his vision for the future of the county town. Dr Evans, of West Dorset District Council
WE'RE on the lookout for someone special. A number of special people, in fact - the sort of people who make a real difference in their local community. The Dorset Echo and Wessex FM have got together to launch a series of community awards designed to
THE 2006 holiday season will see more than 200 festivals and events in Weymouth and Portland - including a prestigious world sailing regatta. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council has launched the resort's holiday programme for this year with a mixture
CONCERNS about noise and potential damage to trees have led to plans for an extension to Bransgore Community Church being put on hold. The congregation at the popular church is outgrowing the 150 seats currently available, so another 50 are planned in
HENGISTBURY Head will become an island and much of Christchurch will be under water within the next 50 years if nothing is done to stem the erosion of the fragile headland. But it could happen much sooner if a major storm breaches the Double Dykes area
