A BUDGET crisis leaves Bournemouth residents facing more cuts in services or another tax rise. The borough has run into more spending problems just two months after slashing budgets and raising council tax by 10 per cent. The council is set to overspend
HIS many sailing friends at Poole will be gunning for the harbour's senior cruiser racing skipper, 70-year-old Harry Evans, when he competes this coming week in the prestigious Nautor Swan European Regatta, hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron, at Cowes
BANKING giant Chase Manhattan has run into opposition over plans for more than 300 parking spaces at its Bournemouth HQ. Bournemouth planners deferred a decision on the scheme after hearing of objections from locals. The borough's planning committee approved
A TEACHER turned down for more than 100 jobs because the rules say she's got the wrong qualifications has attacked the recruitment system as "crazy". Mary Francis of Poole - who can teach GCSE and A-levels in colleges and universities but not children
BOURNEMOUTH mayor Douglas Eyre added a touch of civic panache to the official opening of new PE changing rooms, drama and music facilities at a Bournemouth school. The new facilities at Portchester School in Harewood Avenue are part of an £800,000 building
POLICE at Wareham have alerted Interpol in a bid to trace a missing local man. Gordon Cleghorn, 45, has not been seen since 8am on May 19 when he left his parents' home in East Stoke near Wareham. Sgt Paul Becher, at Wareham police station, said: "He
THE first extended Purbeck Aware festival has already been hailed a success with a fortnight of events still to run. The festival, which aims to promote awareness and enjoyment of the area, normally lasts for a week but was extended to a month this year
CRISP packets almost two decades old were among the rubbish discovered by an army of wombling clean-up volunteers. Two hundred soldiers from Bovington army camp joined residents to tidy up woods and grass verges. Youngsters were surprised to find crisp
A REMARKABLE book to last at least 1,000 years has been created as a record of Langton Matravers at the turn of the millennium. It is hoped that people living in the year 3000 will be able to peer back across the centuries and see how the parish once
A POPULAR Scout group is facing closure unless it can find a new assistant leader by the summer. The current assistant of 1st Wareham scout group is due to retire in August and the group is having trouble finding someone to step into his shoes. It has
A TEACHER turned down for more than 100 jobs because the rules say she's got the wrong qualifications has attacked the recruitment system as "crazy". Mary Francis of Poole - who can teach GCSE and A-levels in colleges and universities but not children
WWMC Sunday League runners-up the Old Castle could finally toast success at the annual Marsh six-a-side tournament a week after losing the Len Mahoney Cup final at the Wessex Stadium. The Castle gunned down Weatherbury 4-1 in the final and are pictured
NEW Weymouth Sports boss Barry Lawley is on the look-out for players to play in the Dorset Combination League next season. The former Portland manager, who has taken over from Vaughan Carter, said: "Obviously I'm hoping to keep the bulk of last season's
What excitement! Election Day and Derby Day both in the same week. A load of old nags going round the bend and downhill very quickly. And as for the Derby... ! I've actually been to the Derby at Epsom, in 1993, when the winner was Commander-in-Chief.
AMERICAN Marin Alsop is to become the next principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. The New Yorker is the first woman to hold the post in the orchestra's illustrious 108-year history. A high-profile member of the international music
WHY didn't they have things like this when we were at school? People's geezer Billy Bragg will introduce the results of a youth music workshop he has been hosting at Bridport Arts Centre tomorrow ahead of a sell-out show on Saturday with his band, The
WEYMOUTH Harbour is to host a spectacular return of tall ships, seven years after their last visit brought thousands of visitors to the resort. Up to 40 vessels will be in the harbour, taking part in a new race from Weymouth to St Malo in France. The
OLD romantic Ronald Palmer whisked childhood sweetheart Dorothy off her feet when he proposed second time round - 60 years after they were first married. The couple, who met 70 years ago as Weymouth school children, returned to All Saints Church in Wyke
A DORCHESTER woman who battled against chronic pain while studying is in the running for a national achievement award. Donna Newel, 21, of The Grove in Dorchester is one of six hopefuls nationwide to be shortlisted for the prestigious Learning Through
A FEW feathers were ruffled when the new resident of a Weymouth development was uncovered. Builders working on the new retirement flats between Commercial Road and the Swannery were astonished to find a nesting duck had set up home under one of their
A HOTELIER claimed he would never have tried to torch his rival's hotel - because he was trying to sell his own business at the time. Christopher Sydney Hilary Poole, 45, claimed he had been trying to sell his hotel for months before being charged with
A DIVERSE mix of acts are lined up for this week's heat of the Echo Star Trail talent contest at the Wessex Hotel, Bournemouth, on Sunday. Comedy, music and magic all promise to make this a great evening of family entertainment. Former Army officer Andy
A HOTELIER claimed he would never have tried to torch his rival's hotel - because he was trying to sell his own business at the time. Christopher Sydney Hilary Poole, 45, claimed he had been trying to sell his hotel for months before being charged with
A FEMALE fox that was nursing her cubs on grounds at Christchurch Hospital died a long, lingering death after callous thugs set their dogs on the animal. The brutal attack, which happened in the early hours of Monday morning, has been condemned by the
NEVER ones to be beaten by 'red tape' their side of the Channel, the French found a neat way round the problem of organising a new cross-Channel race for small sailing catamarans - by staging it in reverse, with a start from Poole. Which is how a 10-strong
A FATAL explosion in a Poole plastics factory was "foreseeable," a jury heard yesterday. On the second day of an inquest into the death of Alan Callaway, accident investigator Keith John said: "Because there were no specific precautions taken sooner or
COWBOY tree surgeons could damage trees and make their owners liable for fines, council officers have warned. Bogus tree surgeons who operate at this time of year are harming local trees, Bournemouth Borough Council says. "These people operate outside
THE FUNERAL service of murder victim Clive Wilcox will take place next week. Everyone who knew the popular 42-year-old is invited to attend the gathering at Bournemouth Crematorium next Thursday at 3.30pm. The service will be preceded by a procession
Take a look at our special Election 2001 coverage starting soon after the polls close. Our editorial teams will be working round the clock to bring you both local and general election results as they are announced. We will keep you up-to-date with how
SOME people will devote 19 or 20 hours to the election today - and they're not even politicians. A vast team of volunteers, most of them not especially well-paid, are responsible for running the polling stations and counting the votes. They started work
BRITAIN goes to the polls today to pass judgement on Tony Blair's New Labour government. And that's a good reason to make sure of your special early edition of the Daily Echo tomorrow. We'll carry all the national and local news you need to know - that's
A GREAT-grandmother from Swanage has compiled the story of her life saying she would give the earth to hear her own mother speaking. Emma Haysom, 83, has now ensured that future generations of her family will be able to hear her. She has recorded a series
SHAUN Webster will fly the flag for East Dorset when he tees-off in the £800,000 Compass Group English Open at the Forest of Arden today. Webster, formerly out of Parkstone, has been appointed touring professional by East Dorset and is believed to be
AFTER a poor start to their campaign to retain their Premier Division title, Parley at last found their form with a 56-run win over Sherborne and it was Carl Brissett who led the way in the Nationwide Sun Awnings League. An opening partnership of 75 between
A FATAL explosion in a Poole plastics factory was "foreseeable," a jury heard yesterday. On the second day of an inquest into the death of Alan Callaway, accident investigator Keith John said: "Because there were no specific precautions taken sooner or
FORMER Cherries duo Keith Williams and Shaun Brooks have been appointed joint-managers of crisis-hit Jewson Wessex League outfit Bournemouth Poppies. And a new committee has also been installed at Victoria Park with Bob Corbin taking over as chairman,
WILLY van Rysel, Bournemouth's oldest swimmer in town, became the first 85-year-old woman in Europe to complete a 1,500m race as she added to her stock of masters records. The amazing van Rysel - who will be 85 next month - completed 30 lengths of Glasgow's
WEYMOUTH Football Club is set to further develop its growing youth structure. They are to form an under-7s team for next season and are looking for boys or girls aged 6 as of September 1, 2001. The club is also looking for someone who is prepared to coach
CHERRIRES star defender Eddie Howe has scotched rumours he is on the verge of joining Burnley. Stories linking Howe with a move to Turf Moor resurfaced earlier this week after the Clarets failed to in a bid to sign the 23-year-old in March. But Howe told
CHERRIES star Peter Grant has set his sights on becoming one of Europe's top coaches after taking his UEFA A advanced licence. Grant returned to Dean Court yesterday after attending the Scottish FA's 10-day course at the Inverclyde National Sports Centre
AN East Dorset village could soon have a new football club - 10 years after the last one folded. Enthusiasts at Three Legged Cross, near Verwood, have been overwhelmed with support for the project. Now they are keen to start fund-raising with a view to
A WOMAN driver was seriously injured in a head-on crash on the A338 near Ringwood yesterday morning. The 64-year-old woman from Poulner was pulled from the wreckage of her Vauxhall Astra after it was in collision with a 17-ton lorry on bends at Ibsley
THIS weekend's Wimborne folk festival will host the biggest gathering of traditional dance teams and bands ever seen in the area. In all, the annual festival will play host 68 teams of dancers covering most of the English traditions along with visiting
A GANG of ten illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe has been found crammed on to a yacht in Weymouth marina. Police and immigration officers raided the boat after it was followed on radar all the way from France. The ten, who are from Lithuania and aged
PROTESTORS have lost their battle against all night opening at a nightclub near Dorchester amid claims of drug problems and noise. The owners of the Country Club at Wardon Hill applied to merge two existing licences to allow singing, dancing and music
PETS are in safe hands at Dorset's Guinea Pig Hotel. The unique hotel is run by eight-year-old Rosanna Brewster, who had always wanted a guinea pig but couldn't decide whether she was old enough to own one. So animal lover Rosanna, from Litton Cheney,
OFFICE administrator Judy Dodworth stepped into the breach when Bridport auctioneer John Bloxham got a touch of laryngitis. The normally talkative John was lost for words and asked Judy to take his place. "He asked me the day before to do it so I practised
POOLE PIRATES 54 - WOLVERHAMPTON 36 PIRATES reserve Craig Watson weighed in with his first double figure return for the club this season as they hammered Wolves last night. Then the 24-year-old re-vealed a more relaxed attitude in the Poole Gas Appliance
COLES Miller Solicitors of Poole has obtained a landmark ruling in the Court of Appeal that could affect all professional advisers. The decision establishes that in commercial transactions, solicitors owe a duty of care to third parties not advised to
SOME 1.7 million members of mutual life insurer Friends Provident will receive windfalls of between £450 and £11,000 after voting overwhelmingly in favour of floating the group on the stock market. More than 97 per cent of members backed the move to list
ACTION is being taken to move the travellers who have camped in Christchurch as soon as possible following growing concern from local residents. Confusion arose when the convoy of some 50 caravans turned off the Littledown Centre in Bournemouth and descended
