Dorset Echo - Best for News, Sport and Local Information for Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester

Couple killed in house blast named

4:46pm Monday 20th May 2013

A man and a woman who died in a suspected gas blast have been named locally as Jeanette and Leslie Rourke.

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Hospital A&E shut amid powder alert

4:37pm Monday 20th May 2013

A hospital has closed its accident and emergency unit after treating several patients who had come into contact with an unknown substance.

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Tories reject Feldman probe calls

4:27pm Monday 20th May 2013

The Conservative Party board has rejected a call for an investigation into whether Tory co-chairman Lord Feldman described grassroots activists as "swivel-eyed loons".

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William in Help for Heroes plea

4:15pm Monday 20th May 2013

The Duke of Cambridge has called on the public to continue their support of injured British servicemen and women.

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Ex-priest jailed for sex attacks

4:06pm Monday 20th May 2013

A retired Church of England priest found guilty of a catalogue of historic sex attacks on young children at a Barnardo's home has been jailed for 10 years.

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Cameron faces Feldman probe calls

3:43pm Monday 20th May 2013

David Cameron is facing calls for an investigation into whether Tory co-chairman Lord Feldman described grassroots activists as "swivel-eyed loons".

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Baby girl for Saturdays singer

3:38pm Monday 20th May 2013

The Saturdays star Rochelle Humes has become a mother for the first time.

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Deputy Speaker's office searched

3:25pm Monday 20th May 2013

The offices of Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans were searched by police on Sunday in connection with an investigation into allegations of rape and sexual assault.

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Ex-priest guilty of sex attacks

3:17pm Monday 20th May 2013

A retired Church of England priest has been found guilty of a catalogue of historic sex attacks on young children at a Barnardo's home for vulnerable youngsters.

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Qatada loses latest bail battle

2:55pm Monday 20th May 2013

Radical cleric Abu Qatada will remain behind bars after a judge denied him bail.

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Bridger: I could have burnt body

2:51pm Monday 20th May 2013

The former slaughterman accused of murdering schoolgirl April Jones told police that he "could have burnt the body", a court has been told.

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Airport bird smuggling bid thwarted

2:25pm Monday 20th May 2013

Attempts to bring live fighting birds through a British airport in suitcases were "astonishing", Border Force has said.

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Labour move over gay marriage Bill

2:14pm Monday 20th May 2013

Labour has launched a bid to save a Government bill to legalise gay marriage, amid fears that a "wrecking amendment" extending civil partnerships to heterosexual couples could stall the legislation.

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Cregan not guilty pleas 'bizarre'

2:09pm Monday 20th May 2013

One-eyed police killer Dale Cregan "bizarrely" pleaded not guilty to two murders despite admitting them "numerous times", a jury has been told.

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Neville Neville to contest charge

12:05pm Monday 20th May 2013

The father of Premier League and England footballers Gary and Phil Neville "strenuously denies" an allegation of sexual assault, his lawyer has said.

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Briton undaunted by space mission

11:57am Monday 20th May 2013

A former Army test pilot is to become the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) - and says it will be less dangerous than his old job.

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Princes at Help for Heroes centre

11:56am Monday 20th May 2013

Princes William and Harry are visiting a Help for Heroes Recovery Centre.

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Warning over hospital capacity

11:45am Monday 20th May 2013

Hospitals are "dangerously close to full", Labour has warned after it emerged that the number of hospital beds available to patients in England has shrunk by almost 6% since the coalition Government took office.

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Stars enjoy flower show preview

11:32am Monday 20th May 2013

Celebrities have flocked to the world's most famous flower show for a sneak preview ahead of the Queen's official visit later on Monday.

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Bond watch found at car boot sale

11:25am Monday 20th May 2013

James Bond's geiger counter wristwatch from hit movie Thunderball has turned up at a car boot sale following years of mystery about its whereabouts.

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Footballer assault charge dropped

11:10am Monday 20th May 2013

A charge of common assault has been dropped against Liverpool and England footballer Raheem Sterling after a witness failed to turn up to court.

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Neville Neville to face sex charge

10:44am Monday 20th May 2013

The father of Premier League and England footballers Gary and Phil Neville will be charged with sexual assault.

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Man charged with comedy night fraud

10:22am Monday 20th May 2013

A man who allegedly posed as the brother of comedian Peter Kay to con pub landlords has been charged with fraud, police have said.

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Farage moves to exploit Tory unrest

10:22am Monday 20th May 2013

UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage has moved to exploit unrest within the Conservative ranks, urging discontented Tories to defect to his party.

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'Nothing there' for pool death girl

9:28am Monday 20th May 2013

The grief-stricken father of a five-year-old girl who drowned in a hotel pool in Egypt fought back tears as he spoke of how he was left to make the first attempts to resuscitate his daughter.

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Briton given space station mission

9:24am Monday 20th May 2013

A former helicopter pilot is to become the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), it has been confirmed.

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Briton to get space station mission

8:16am Monday 20th May 2013

A British former helicopter pilot will become the country's first "home-grown" astronaut when he is confirmed as one of the crew to fly to the International Space Station (ISS).

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Queen given sneak Chelsea preview

4:24am Monday 20th May 2013

A party of royal guests headed by the Queen will be given a sneak preview of the Chelsea Flower Show, ahead of its public opening.

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Man in court after two children die

3:55am Monday 20th May 2013

A British father is due to appear in court in France, where he is expected to be formally charged with slitting the throats of his two young children.

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Liverpool star Sterling faces trial

3:05am Monday 20th May 2013

Liverpool and England footballer Raheem Sterling will go on trial accused of hitting a woman.

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Tory leaders rally around Feldman

2:48am Monday 20th May 2013

Conservative co-chairman Lord Feldman will face questions about allegations he described grassroots activists as "swivel-eyed loons", at a meeting of the party's board.

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MPs to debate gay marriage plans

2:43am Monday 20th May 2013

The coalition's controversial gay marriage legislation returns to the Commons with Tory MPs and activists deeply split over the issue.

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Man killed in house gas explosion

1:36am Monday 20th May 2013

A man has died and another person is still missing after a gas explosion which destroyed a terraced house, police said.

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House asking prices reach new high

12:08am Monday 20th May 2013

House sellers' asking prices have soared to a new high, in further signs of confidence returning to the market, a property website has reported.

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New laws 'open to abuse of power'

12:17am Monday 20th May 2013

Proposed anti-social behaviour laws are open to abuse of power and could be used by councils to create new crimes ranging from spitting to homelessness, a think-tank has warned.

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Cameron calls for tax transparency

12:08am Monday 20th May 2013

David Cameron has written to the leaders of Britain's offshore tax havens stressing the need to "get our own houses in order" as he pushes for international action to tackle avoidance schemes.

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Help offered to probation mutuals

12:17am Monday 20th May 2013

Probation staff who start their own John Lewis-style mutuals will be offered support to bid for contracts under the Government's rehabilitation reforms, Nick Clegg will announce.

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High inflation is 'here to stay'

12:17am Monday 20th May 2013

Households are facing a continued squeeze on their spending power after a leading forecaster warned that high inflation was here to stay.

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Four hurt in suspected gas blast

10:53pm Sunday 19th May 2013

Four casualties have been taken to hospital after a suspected gas blast which destroyed a terraced house.

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Five people hurt in gas explosion

8:35pm Sunday 19th May 2013

Five casualties have been taken to hospital after a suspected gas blast which ripped through a house, police have said.

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Father admits killing children

7:42pm Sunday 19th May 2013

A British father has admitted slitting the throats of his two young children in France following a difficult divorce, sources said.

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One rescued following gas blast

7:38pm Sunday 19th May 2013

One person has been rescued by fire crews after a suspected gas explosion ripped through a house.

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Rod Stewart tops UK album chart

7:02pm Sunday 19th May 2013

Rod Stewart's first album of self-penned songs in 20 years has gone straight to the top of the UK album charts.

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Philpott wife plans sentence appeal

6:08pm Sunday 19th May 2013

A mother jailed for 17 years for killing her six children in a house fire is to appeal against the length of her sentence, her lawyer has said.

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One dead, two hurt in plane crash

5:24pm Sunday 19th May 2013

A man has died while a boy and another man are fighting for their lives after a light aircraft crashed on the approach to an airport runway.

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Red Arrows cleared for new displays

11:19am Friday 17th May 2013

The RAF's Red Arrows air display team has been cleared by the Chief of the Air Staff to fly in displays this year, the RAF said.

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Fire services 'could save £200m'

11:07am Friday 17th May 2013

Fire and rescue services in England could save up to £200 million a year if they were operated more efficiently, according to a report.

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British Olympic sailor dies as America's Cup boat capsizes

11:44pm Thursday 9th May 2013

Olympic gold medal-winning sailor Andrew Simpson, from Sherborne, Dorset, has died after his yacht capsized off the coast of California, his team said.

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Credit unions to pool resources

12:09am Tuesday 7th May 2013

More than 30 credit unions have signed up to a "landmark" expansion drive which will save consumers up to £1 billion in loan interest repayments in the coming years.

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