Rush-hour traffic backed up around a crash involving a car and a van. The incident just after 6pm occurred one mile out of Stinsford on the A35. It involved a white VW van and a black Citroen car. The road was very briefly blocked before one lane was
HEARTLESS thieves stole a guest book, cash and wedding gifts worth £2,000 from a wedding hit by floods. Happy couple Nicky Patrick and Kerry Simmance, both 27, celebrated their big day surrounded by family and friends at St Andrews Church,
OLYMPIAN Sharron Davies will be among the stars descending on Weymouth and Portland this Thursday in honour of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. The former Olympic swimmer will be co-presenting a live programme for the South West called
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a bike worth £800 was stolen in Weymouth. Dorset Police released details of the alleged theft today and are urging anyone with any information to get in contact. The incident took place in the
THE JUBILEE celebrations are set to continue in the Piddle Valley with a special concert at All Saints Church in Piddletrenthide. Renowned opera singer and local resident John Hudston will be performing as will the Dorset Male Voice Choir at the Jubilee
A HAIRDRESSING student whose mother battled cancer had her head shaved to raise funds to help find a cure. Kelcie Godsell-Collins, 17, faced the clippers in a bid to raise £250 for Cancer Research. She watched as her mother, aged 50, was diagnosed
ON July 3 the Dorset Echo ran a story about 190 members of one family getting together for a reunion involving at least four generations. The Rod family, who also spell their name Rodd, met up on Portland where the family originates for a fabulous day
THE Olympic spirit soared as schoolchildren across Weymouth and Portland marked the end of their own torch relay. The School to School Torch Relay ended yesterday at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. Local dignitaries
WALKERS near Weymouth have celebrated the official opening of the first section of coastpath to have the new coastal access rights. Members of the Ramblers joined representatives from Natural England, the National Trust, the South West Coastpath team
THE time has come to vote for Weymouth Carnival Queen 2012. The competition is one of the highlights of the event and it is up to you to choose who wears the crown. Over the years dozens of girls have battled it out to be queen for a
PEOPLE were left angry and disappointed after a technical problem hampered attempts to get hold of Olympic torch party wristbands. The 700 extra tickets for the beach event to welcome the torch on Thursday evening sold out in five minutes. The line
A HAPPY couple spent their wedding day surrounded by family and friends. Tanya Basso, 28, and Alex Folly, 30, tied the knot at St Nicholas church in Moreton. The bride, a night care assistant, and the groom, a maintenance manager for Dorset Vehicle
EUGENIE Underwood could have made history on her birthday – by becoming one of the three oldest sisters in the country. Mrs Underwood recently celebrated her 105th birthday at the Bymead House Nursing Home in Charmouth as her family wait for the outcome
FRIENDSHIP and more than a decade’s experience is set to give Portland’s Sonar Team the edge in their mission for Queen and country. For helmsman John Robertson, winning gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games with teammates Hannah Stodel
ONE 102-year-old surprised everyone with her piano playing talent. Rosemary Adams proved that at more than a century old she still has the gift of music when she revealed her talent at The Hyde in Walditch, Bridport. After a kind benefactor dropped
LIFEGUARDS have begun their patrols of Dorset beaches for the summer. As the RNLI’s peak season kicks off, it has launched a new ‘beach finder’ mobile app to make it easy for visitors to find a lifeguarded beach. The patrols cover 21 beaches in Dorset
Staff at the Gurkha Restaurant in Weymouth evacuated diners as the water started to rise. Managing director Dhan Gurung, right, said: “The water came so quickly, we all evacuated very quickly.” The water reached about one metre up the
FLOOD VICTIMS said community spirit was the one good thing to come out of the flooding. Many were forced to abandon their homes when the River Frome and the River Hooke burst their banks after heavy downpours. Darren Watkins, of Dorchester
STAFF at a Weymouth nature reserve are counting the cost after floodwater decimated wildlife and damaged a newly-refurbished visitor centre. The RSPB’s state-of-the-art Wild Weymouth Discovery Centre in the Swannery car park was swamped by
VILLAGERS rallied round after some of the worst flooding in West Dorset which left one couple forced out of their home and many others feeling they had a lucky escape. Pensioners Ken and Noreen Short saw flood waters almost waist-high sweep
PEOPLE across the county were left counting the cost of the damage as the flood waters start to subside. After the deluge over the weekend some communities have been clearing up as water levels fall while others are still waiting to see the
A ROYAL guest graced Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy to watch hundreds of young sailors compete. Princess Anne sailed out to watch more than 600 youngsters from all over the country compete in the 2012 National School Sailing Association
After all the upheavals while our so called wonderful new traffic system in Weymouth has been put in place, it really beggers belief that Dorset County Council paid nearly half a million in extra agency costs to achieve a complete mess. I suppose
AS PART of this year’s Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival organisers are bringing back Townsend Productions’ sell-out adaptation of Robert Tressell’s classic working-class novel to St Marys School, Puddletown. It is an hilarious fast-paced show following a year
I am putting pen to paper after Saturday’s downpour, which led to severe flooding in and around Bridport. I am sorry about the charter fair, which had been reallocated to the town hall due to extreme weather conditions. I know that Francis Mackenzie
Could Dorset County Council explain the traffic chaos this weekend in Weymouth? Granted the rain was dreadful on Saturday and the flooding on Sunday was very bad but why, with millions of pounds spent on intelligent traffic systems, was Weymouth brought
Even this summer’s unseasonal wet weather didn’t dampen the generosity in Dorchester on Wednesday, June 27 when £87.49 was donated to the Street Collect-ion for Freedom from Torture. The collection was arranged by the charity’s West Dorset fund-raising
With a grant from UnLtd Malcolm Beeson has completed his walking maps of Littlemoor and they are now available free at the library, the community hall and some shops in the precinct. Other copies will be sent to the Coastal Rangers to support their
POLICE are seeking help to trace a man who targeted the home of an elderly couple in Weymouth. The occupants told officers a man visited their home in Lynch Road near Fiveways asking about any unwanted jewellery they had for sale. He returned 15 minutes
ONE OF Dorchester’s ‘flagship stores’ is set to close its doors. Wellchester has announced it is shutting up shop three years after it was opened and has launched a closing down sale. Store manager Claire Robertson, a former Woolworths Saturday girl
DORSET POLICE are advising communities to stay safe during Torch Relay celebrations when the flame arrives in the county on Thursday. In a joint statement with NHS Dorset, the service issued safety points, such as keeping possessions safe, remembering
DORSET pair Michael Watson and Jon Bevan battled through the floods to reach Carlyon Bay just in time for their tee-times – and both emerged as winners. Watson shared top place with Barry Austin (Downes Crediton) in the individual while Bevan won the
BRENDON King believes the Terras are in a much stronger position than they were 12 months ago. After his appointment as manager in June 2011, King was forced to build a squad from scratch. Fast forward a year, and with the majority of last season’s
BRIDPORT’S first pre-season friendly has fallen victim to the inclement weather. Saturday’s heavy downpours flooded the St Mary’s Field surface and despite efforts to move the match, Chard Town’s pitch was also deemed unplayable. Bees’ boss Trevor Senior
SOPHIE Ramsbottom and Georgina Stickland enjoyed a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Carly Dean and Sarah Thomas in the ladies’ doubles at the rain-hit Weymouth Town Tennis Tournament. The clash was forced indoors at the Wey Valley Tennis Centre at the weekend following
CHRIS PERHAM and Niall Laming are battling head-to-head after the first four races of the Bustinskin Aquathlon series. Laming won the first event of the summer, finishing in a time of 29.40mins, with Thomas Kelly runner-up in 32.19. In the second race
ORGANISERS have announced the cancellation of this year’s Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire. The high-profile event was due to start this Friday with British championship classes at open, intermediate and novice levels.
THE A35 at Winterbourne Abbas is still shut due to flooding from the recent deluge of rain. The A3066 Beaminster tunnel also remains closed, a Dorset Police spokesman said. Local authority emergency planning departments are working to
TRAVIS Walden was the big winner at Dorchester & Dist-rict Amateur Boxing Club’s annual trophy presentation, where he picked up the best senior male award. Kieron Clewett was also recognised as having the best ringcraft skills while Sol Gildey-Evans
