Archive

  • SECOND DIVER MISSING AT SCENE OF WRECK

    A SECOND diver is missing - presumed dead - after a dive on the wreck of the Kyarra off Swanage. The 22-year-old man, from Northampton, was an experienced diver who had been diving off Swanage regularly for the past two to three years. He was spotted

  • Know your (organic) onions, shoppers told

    "KNOW your onions!" That's the message from Dorset Trading Standards as they check out the authenticity of organic food. Concern that some suppliers could be wrongly using the word "organic" to advertise products has prompted a widespread investigation

  • Health plans up in smoke?

    HEALTH experts in Dorset believe the government's plans to introduce a partial ban on smoking in public places will not go far enough and will create significant inequalities. The white paper is expected to back down on a blanket ban on the third phase

  • Tracy is back to devastating form with five-under-par 65

    BROADSTONE professional Tracy Loveys shot the round of her life at Weymouth, thanks to two local physiotherapists who sorted out a recurring back problem a couple of days earlier. She traced the trouble to her appearance in the WPGA Wales Open at the

  • Pineo sidelined as Dorset struggle at Dean Park

    DORSET are facing an uphill task in their quest to win their final Western Division match of the season after Oxfordshire seized the initiative on day two at Dean Park on Monday. After seeing Oxon compile a first innings lead of 79, Dorset closed a rain-interrupted

  • Pub landlady applies for licence until 5am

    A LANDLADY has applied for a licence to keep her town-centre pub open until 5.30am - but she is adamant that the binge-drinking culture is having a very negative impact. Annmarie McCarthy runs the popular Albion in Wimborne and - because of a change in

  • 'Dogs mauled me and nobody came to help'

    A JOGGER was mauled by dogs on a local travellers encampment and claims despite her desperate screams, no-one came to help. The 37-year-old from Wimborne dialled 999 on her mobile phone as one of the dogs bit her and others scratched at her legs. A police

  • Tourists discover body in harbour

    SHOCKED holidaymakers found a body in a harbour while crab-lining. The gruesome discovery was made by a man and his daughter, on holiday from Cheshire, when their line became entangled with the man's remains. The father dialled emergency services on his

  • Couple's children christened on lifeboat

    A WEYMOUTH couple boarded a lifeboat and had their children christened with a bottle of holy water. Weymouth Lifeboat station mechanic Hefin Roberts, 29, thought of the idea and wife Emma, 31, agreed. Daughter Holly, three, and their son Jack, six months

  • New scheme for flats on former works site

    PLANNERS have received a proposal to build six flats with garages as part of a larger development for the former WJ Tod site near Ferrybridge in Weymouth. The scheme from Betterment Properties would revitalise the site, which suffered vandalism and fire

  • Tears as Oxfam shuts up shop for last time

    VOLUNTEERS blinked back tears when a charity shop closed its doors after 23 years of trading. Oxfam in St Mary Street, Weymouth, was forced to shut after landlords demanded a rent increase and charity bosses feared it was not making enough profit. The

  • Service dedicated to Forest's 12 airfields

    SIXTY years on from the end of the Second World War, veterans and serving officers joined civic leaders on Sunday for a memorial service to commemorate the vital role played by the airfields of the New Forest. Representatives from the units who served

  • No funeral for Earl - 10 months after death

    ALMOST a year since the disappearance of the Earl of Shaftesbury and subsequent discovery of his body, the aristocrat has still not been laid to rest. November 2004 marked the start of a tragic year for the Ashley-Cooper family: First with the murder

  • Council must make 'wish lists' a reality

    CUSTOMER focus is good at Christchurch council and the town's residents are highly satisfied with civic services, says the Audit Commission. But the independent report also claims that more work needs to be done in customer care such as the time taken

  • Ban for drink-drive woman in accident

    A WOMAN has admitted being two times over the drink-drive limit after being stopped following an accident in Christchurch. Alison Hayes, 40, of Hunt Road, Christchurch, pleaded guilty to one charge of driving with excess alcohol and no MOT. Andrew Cannon

  • It's hot stuff as regulars get coal feet

    IT was mind over matter for big-hearted volunteers who walked over red-hot coals in a Bournemouth hotel car-park to raise funds for a national charity. Twenty people took part in a firewalk in the grounds of the Yenton Hotel in Gervis Road, boosting the

  • Sale of Yellow Buses back on track again?

    THE sale of Yellow Buses could soon be back on track following a top-level meeting between council bosses and the Department of Transport. The council claims the meeting was "very constructive and positive" and believes it has identified a way in which

  • Antisocial offender gets 135th conviction

    ONE of Dorset's most persistent offenders has notched up his 135th court conviction. Mark Bown, described as Christchurch's most anti-social resident, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court for breaching an Antisocial Behaviour Order (Asbo) for the fourth

  • Seacourt developer aims to be sensitive

    THE PROPERTY developer who owns Seacourt in Swanage has spoken of his plans to restore the Victorian villa once an acceptable planning scheme is given the go-ahead. Seacourt in Taunton Road was recently the subject of a planning inquiry with a government

  • Pineo sidelined as Dorset struggle at Dean Park

    DORSET are facing an uphill task in their quest to win their final Western Division match of the season after Oxfordshire seized the initiative on day two at Dean Park on Monday. After seeing Oxon compile a first innings lead of 79, Dorset closed a rain-interrupted

  • Lifeline smoke alarm saves Mary's home

    BOILING a face flannel in a saucepan almost ended in disaster when Mary Cooper left her bungalow and forgot to turn off the gas beneath the pan. It boiled dry and started to smoke. Left unattended, the flannel would have burst into flames and started

  • Temporary fire station to be built

    IN a bid to get the new combined police and fire service centre up and running early in Poole, a temporary fire station needs to be built in the borough. A multi-million pound scheme will see the old fire station in Wimborne Road demolished and replaced

  • Probation officer fled from angry teenager

    A TEENAGER has been detained after admitting falsely imprisoning his probation officer. Magistrates sitting at Poole Youth Court heard on Monday the 17-year-old, of no fixed abode, had met the female officer at the Quay Foyer in Hill Street, Poole, on

  • FOREIGN WORKERS BRIDGE SKILLS GAP

    INCREASING numbers of Dorset and Hampshire businesses are looking towards eastern Europe to beat skills shortages. Winton-based specialist dry cleaning/laundry firm the Barker Group has taken on "a significant number" of Polish workers to meet demand

  • It's the birthplace of big businesses

    IT MAY be something in the water, or perhaps it's the sea air, but Dorset has been the birthplace of many brilliant business ideas. Liquid crystal technology, used in every mobile phone and laptop computer in the world, was developed by scientists in

  • SAIL CENTRE'S £9M CASH AID

    A CASH boost of £9.4million will be ploughed into Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy in time for the Olympic games, it was revealed today. The financial injection, from the Government and National Lottery, will be spent making the centre a world-class

  • Tattoo stall found using danger dye

    A COUNCIL today warned about the safety of black henna tattoos after tests revealed a Weymouth street trader was found using potentially harmful powder. A sample from the trader showed a high reading of the substance paraphenylenenediamine (PPD) which

  • 'Save our baking' plea from market

    A POPULAR weekly market could close its doors for good unless more people come forward to help cook up tasty treats. Organisers of the weekly Dorchester Country Market fear their stalls will be left empty when long time supporter Audrey Penniston hangs

  • In memory of Ryan

    CATHY Franklin put her best foot forward in memory of her baby son Ryan who was killed aged two years and three months. Friends and family supported the young mum in a bid to raise cash for the paediatric intensive care unit at Southampton where Ryan

  • Antisocial offender gets 135th conviction

    ONE of Dorset's most persistent offenders has notched up his 135th court conviction. Mark Bown, described as Christchurch's most anti-social resident, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court for breaching an Antisocial Behaviour Order (Asbo) for the fourth