THERE were celebrations across Dorset and Hampshire at the weekend as two local sportsmen struck gold in Greece and another won silver to become Olympic heroes. Elated villagers flocked to a North Dorset watering-hole at the weekend to toast the success
PATIENTS failing to turn up for appointments with their GPs are costing the NHS around £2.2million a year in Dorset alone. NHS bosses estimate 125,000 people a year are failing to attend appointments with family doctors in the county - at a cost of around
MOTORISTS promote car crime in their area by leaving items on display. This is the message from Dorset Police who say a quarter of vehicles were targeted by thieves because they were left insecure or had items on display. Now PC Jonathan Williams, crime
DORCHESTER boss Mark Morris declared that "everything is coming together at last" after he swooped to sign two new players ahead of tonight's Nationwide Conference South trip to Havant and Waterlooville. Former Reading central defender Gary Middleton,
LESS than a year ago, Erin Rocha was just another Poole schoolgirl, studying for A-levels and looking forward to appearing in her end-of-term play. Last Christmas all that changed after a twist of fate landed her with a hit single and the launchpad for
FURIOUS fans claimed they were ripped-off after a host of stars failed to show up for a celebrity football extravaganza. The five-a-side competition was part of the Pop 4 Weymouth event held at the Wessex Stadium over the weekend. But despite being promised
TWO families claim their lives are being made a misery because they keep getting locked in their homes. Dean and Joanne Hornby and newlyweds Mark and Julie Lisle both moved into their rented two-bedroom homes on the new College Heights development off
GYPSIES and travellers at this year's Great Dorset Steam Fair are to be offered a temporary site in an effort to avoid problems experienced in the last few years. The fair which takes place during the first week of September this year attracts hundreds
A STEEP and rugged cliff path between Highcliffe Castle grounds and the popular beach below is going to cost Christchurch council dearly - in expensive repairs or costly insurance claims. The crumbling zig-zag path, increasingly used following the completion
A COUPLE of years ago, a survey came out which listed Britain's most disliked foods. Top of the pile, and rightly so, came tripe, the single most evil-looking food in the universe. Let's face it, if somebody dropped a lorryload of tripe on our local beaches
FREE-scoring Cherries star James Hayter carved his name in the Dean Court hall of fame and then dedicated his latest goals to his parents. Hayter became the club's 10th highest post-war league goalscorer when he netted twice to spearhead Cherries to victory
A couple's dream of retiring to Spain is in tatters after they lost £130,000 of their life savings in a holiday home rip-off. Graham and Sonia Higginson, of West Moors, have been forced to postpone their retirement plans after a Spanish estate agency
DAILY Echo readers have reacted with unprecedented outrage after a mother who glassed her 14-year-old son in the face walked free from court. More than one hundred of you rang and emailed in the space of 24 hours over the weekend in response to our front
POPPY Appeal organisers in Bournemouth have issued a plea for help as old age diminishes their number. The Royal British Legion needs people to organise collectors in the run-up to November 11 as well as to rattle tins and hand out poppies. The charity
THE 25th anniversary this week of the murder of Earl Mountbatten of Burma will bring especially poignant memories for one Dorset war veteran. Jim Mariner may have been one among many thousands who served under Lord Mountbatten in World War Two, but he
ANCIENT woodland, ponds and grasslands near Wareham have been saved for the public to enjoy after an auction of land. A last-minute appeal for a fighting fund to secure the land for the Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) raised just under £300,000. The cash
A POOLE parking warden at the centre of an internal investigation has quit his job. The man has left the Borough of Poole after being suspended, despite being cleared of any wrongdoing. Allegations surfaced in a letter sent to the council, claiming the
GARETH Barnes and Stuart Cooper both bagged hat-tricks as new-look Wimborne demolished Hamble 7-0 at Cuthbury. The Magpies lost eight key players over the summer but boss Paul Arnold has replaced them with quality additions to give his revamped side every
HAMWORTHY United got their first win of the Wessex League campaign and managed it in some style as they hit lowly Downton for six. Alex Pike's side strolled into a 3-0 lead after just 28 minutes as two fine strikes from Darren Orchard and a Tom McCormick
BASHLEY remain unbeaten at the start of life in Ryman Division One after three games but, as manager Geoff Butler pointed out, a second draw in a row was another two points lost. Bash began with an impressive 2-1 win at Croydon which was followed up by
ALTHOUGH the cows maybe concrete, James Hayter was like the cat that got the cream on Saturday (August 21). In true John Milton fashion, Hayter's display was pure poetry. And as economical as Maynard Keynes, he scored twice and set up Cherries' third
BOGNOR REGIS 2 WEYMOUTH 2 WEYMOUTH returned from West Sussex with their first point of the season and a reminder of what they let go, as old boy Luke Nightingale hit a brace for the home side to clinch a share of the spoils. Bognor, renowned for their
DORSET'S 49er sailors are ready to pounce to glory after roaring back into bronze medal position. Weymouth and Portland's Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks enjoyed one of their best outings yesterday in Athens after a day in which everything changed round
FORECAST strong wind could give windsurfer Nick Dempsey a vital, final push into the medals today. The 24-year-old who lives in Weymouth is poised just outside the top three heading into the last three races of the mistral class Olympic regatta. With
PIONEERING local companies have just a month left to enter the Echo-backed Dorset Business Awards. Firms that are flying the flag for Britain overseas are being urged to enter the Dorset Business International Award, sponsored by Business Link Wessex.
BJARNE Pedersen clung on to the vital eighth spot in the overall Grand Prix standings after a troublesome rut cost him and his Pirates team-mate Ryan Sullivan dear in the Scandinavian round in Ullevi Stadium. The Dane went into the sixth round of this
SHE'S used to trekking around North Dorset on behalf of the Primary Care Trust. But next year Nikki Stevens from Wimborne will hit the Inca Trail at heights of up to 4,000 metres. She's taking Spanish classes and has started a campaign of biking, swimming
LITTLE Briony Kiddle was left broken-hearted after being snubbed by stars at the Weymouth pop concert Briony, nine, had been looking forward to meeting popstars, including her favourites Girls Aloud, at Pop 4 Weymouth after winning a competition on local
IRRESPONSIBLE dog owners are threatening an animal sanctuary. Animals at the Pirates Cove Birds of Prey Rescue Centre at Wyke Regis in Weymouth, have been attacked by dogs whose owners are ignoring warning signs. Centre volunteer Darren Hunt, 35, said
A TOP Prince Charles impersonator has escaped a driving ban that would have spelled the end of his career as a royal look-alike. Weymouth magistrates decided against disqualifying Charles Arthur Haslett, 48, from driving when he appeared before them for
A SERIES of high profile drugs raids mark the beginning of a major police purge on dealers throughout Hampshire. The Rat on a Rat campaign began in Southampton, but police are urging people to inform on suspected drug dealers in cities and rural districts
A TEENAGE mother whose human rights opened the door for a growing band of travellers to remain on a sports arena in Christchurch has left the site and gone to stay with relatives in London. Travellers used the post-natal plight of Eleanor Berry, 18, to
