MULTI-million-pound regeneration proposals and plans to introduce a second lifting bridge could have mammoth effects on the price of land within an area of Poole. In the space of a year-and-a-half Pilkington's Tiles Group, which owns a factory in Hamworthy
BRIDPORT hope to put Tuesday night's heavy defeat at Weymouth behind them when they take on Devizes Town in the Screwfix Direct Premier Division at St Mary's Field tomorrow (kick-off 3pm). Manager Peter Conning thinks it is an ideal fixture for the Bees
DANNY O'Hagan re-signed for Dorchester after training at the Avenue Stadium last night and should be in their squad for tomorrow's home game against Havant and Waterlooville. But even if the club tie-up the formalities by today's 5pm deadline - manager
BUSINESSES across West Dorset have been put on alert over a scam demanding money to register under the Data Protection Act. Firms are being sent official looking documents asking them to pay a fee of £95 to comply with government rules. But companies
FOUR students from Bridport's Sir John Colfox School took part in an historic meeting of the county council's education committee this week. Sixth formers Katy Stocker, Dewi Lambert, Hannah Linford and Doug Sheppard and representatives from five other
PRINCE Charles' Poundbury dream village is 'artificial', 'pretentious', 'lifeless' and 'fake', according to some architects and planners. A university study on the innovative development shows some professionals are scathing in their criticism of the
A HISTORIC choir is tuning up for new members in a bid to stave off a crisis. Casterbridge Male Voice Choir has helped keep Dorchester entertained for 63 years, but organisers fear it could be forced to close if numbers keep dwindling. The Casterbridge
PLANS have been submitted for a pet crematorium in North Dorset. The proposals are by the owners of the Deer Park Riding Stables in Blandford who want to diversify their income through offering a small- scale disposal service for domestic pets. The facility
TWO firefighters described how they risked their lives to pull two people from a burning house late last night. One man jumped from a window to escape the ferocious blaze at the two-storey house in St Anthony's Road last night and another was taken to
A HUGE blaze which broke out at Burger King in Tower Park Poole, is thought to have been started maliciously. More than 77 firefighters, eight fire engines and ten police, were involved in bringing the fire under control last night. Firefighters said
POPPY Appeal organisers have issued an urgent call for volunteers to boost their funds this year. The amount of money raised by the Royal British Legion appeal fell last year for the first time ever - but demand for its help is growing. Dorset fund-raisers
DORSET opponents of GM crops say results of a study into their environmental impact have come as little surprise. Scientists tested three biotech crops and found the cultivation of two - an oilseed rape and a beet crop - to be more harmful to many groups
Estate agent/auctioneer Ellen Grace was having a bad morning. Her car blew up on the way to work, her ex has become her new boss and during their first valuation of the day they find a dead body in the sitting room! This is the opening chapter of a rather
Bang on cue for the season of mellow fruitfulness comes this guide to an aspect of the culinary arts which probably conjures up images of your gran in a pinny. But this is a thoroughly-modern take on the art of stocking up on reminders of summer and autumn
You know how frustrating it is when you hear someone mention Mary Pickford, for example, and you know you know the name but can't think for the life of you who she was? Or when someone says how young Julie Christie looks... then you realise none of you
IT'S pupil versus master at Coburg Road tomorrow where Dorchester entertain Oakmeadians in the second round of the Powergen Intermediate Knockout Cup. Former Dorchester coach, Paul Absolom who led the county town out of the Southern Counties League into
PORTLAND United's goalkeeping crisis has been solved by veteran Pat George ahead of tomorrow's Sydenhams Wessex League clash with leaders Winchester City at Grove Corner (3pm). The Blues reserve gloveman steps in to replace Paul Myers who starts a five-week
DORCHESTER Reserves boss Phil Simkin reckons he may have to dust off his boots and name himself in his squad for tomorrow's trip to Dorset Premier League high-flyers Gillingham Town. "Our injury list is a real tale of woe and I won't have a clue who will
AWARD-WINNING newspaper and leaflet distributor NDS has rebranded to Newsquest Southern ahead of predicted growth in its database analysis and market research operations. Poole-based NDS has adopted the name of its parent group, Daily Echo publisher News-quest
MORE than 300 people have signed a petition in just four days against a proposal to build a new church, which they say will be an eyesore. People living near the proposed site of a new Jehovah's Witness church on land near Southill Neighbourhood Centre
CRASH PAIR IN INTENSIVE CARE A DORCHESTER grandmother and her 10-year-old granddaughter remain in hospital intensive care units today after a two-car crash on the Weymouth to Bridport road. The incident, two miles outside Chickerell on Tuesday, left one
OLYMPIC sprinter Darren Campbell quickened pulses when he turned up at a junior school in Weymouth. He met hundreds of pupils from Wyke Regis Junior School who have been raising money for sports charity Super Schools, a programme designed to help athletes
TURBINE PICTURES NOT SO ACCURATE I was interested to see last Friday's piece 'When the wind blows', with Doug Cox's computer-generated pictures speculating about the visual effect of wind turbines at Portland Harbour. Mr Cox should perhaps be careful
WILDLIFE campaigners today called for a ban on GM crops because of their 'disastrous' effects. Their demand comes in the light of results from three-year farm trials - including more than 15 carried out in Dorset - on oilseed rape, beet and maize. The
A TALENTED young dance student from Weymouth has won her first appearance on national television. Naomi Dodds, 15, from Wey Valley School, has won a place in the final of a BBC national competition and will be representing Weymouth in the Your Riddims
PLANS to step up operations at a New Forest quarry could run into stiff opposition from residents. Villagers living to the north of Ringwood are being urged to voice their views on new proposals by Tarmac to expand its quarrying site at Ibsley. Potential
VICTORIANS in Lyme Regis sent a message from the past this week when a time capsule was discovered at the Marder Almshouses in Coombe Street. The capsule was buried in 1899 and contained three coins minted the same year, a copy of the Bridport News dated
REMEMBER the great performance Tom Selleck gave as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark? Or how good Shirley Temple was in the Wizard of Oz? Or Robert Redford's gripping turn as Michael Corleone in The Godfather? Of course you don't, because these
STAFF the Lyme Regis branch of the NatWest bank are celebrating their success in a national competition, which has recognised their outstanding customer service. They beat off strong competition from NatWest branches throughout the country to be awarded
LUCKLESS Cherries star Derek Holmes today admitted he was "gutted" to discover he will be sidelined for at least six weeks due to a knee injury. Holmes was rocked by news that he had torn a cartilage pad in his right knee when he fell awkwardly during
ANY attempts to redevelop a historic hotel put up for sale in Christchurch will be fiercely resisted by council planners. The statement was made by the borough council about The Kings Arms, on the market for a rumoured £1.5 million, amid speculation that
He may be 87 but old romantic Frederick Stacey was determined to get married again. And 70-year-old Eileen Biddlecombe only had one word to say when he popped the magic question - "yes!" Holding hands together and dressed in their finest, the sweethearts
ANY attempts to redevelop a historic hotel put up for sale in Christchurch will be fiercely resisted by council planners. The statement was made by the borough council about The Kings Arms, on the market for a rumoured £1.5 million, amid speculation that
FURTHER credence has been given to tales of big cats roaming the Dorset countryside after two policemen on night patrol spotted one. Officers Jon Kuspert and Richard Lill were out in Edmondsham patrolling for poachers when they spotted an unusual creature
PUTTING his wife on the public payroll has caused a political storm for Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith but it has been a way of life for Christchurch Conser-vative MP Chris Chope and his wife Christo since before they were married. Christo was already
WE'VE had house swap shows, even wife swap programmes. Now prepare for Channel 4's latest show Boss Swap. And PR boss Lee Peck is leading the way, having swapped his agency, Leepeckgreenfield, to take up the reins at Wimborne-based firm Decomatic. In
THE Coen brothers' latest offering is reckoned to be their most commercial to date. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays a revenge-seeking gold digger who marries George Clooney's lawyer with the sole intent of making a killing in the divorce. Played for laughs
TWO clubs who had some titanic battles in their bid to take the step up from the Dorset League into the Dorset Premier renew acquaintances at Poole Borough's Turlin Moor tomorrow. Dorchester United followed Borough, managed by ex-Magpie Peter Morrell,
POLICE reinforcements were called when violence flared in the centre of Bridport in the early hours of Sunday morning following the football match between England and Turkey. Up to 15 officers, including eight specially trained in public order offences
WHAT is culture? That's the question being posed at Bridport's first culture forum next week. People from Bridport - including artists, sportsmen and women, historians, writers and musicians - are being invited to the event at the town's arts centre on
BRIDPORT-based community group the West Dorset Food and Land Trust has been nominated by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to attend a Downing Street reception next week. The trust operates from the Bridport Centre for Local Food on
ALARM fitter Jason Davies was warned that he may face jail after being found guilty of lying to customers in West Dorset. A jury took nearly five hours to reach their verdicts at Dorchester Crown Court after hearing how he promised homeowners and holiday
CHAMPAGNE corks were popping after two Bridport-based teams finished a gruelling charity cycle ride through France. Alongside 101 teams, they undertook a mammoth three-day ride covering over 550 miles from Mont St Michel through the Loire Valley to Epernay
PIRATES co-promoter Matt Ford has hit back at claims from Belle Vue that "some sides" have flaunted the rules of the British League Cup this season. Aces boss John Perrin is quoted as labelling the competition "a shambles" in Speedway Star magazine. And
DORSET County Council is preparing a Private Finance Initiative bid for cash to help tackle its huge backlog of street lights in serious need of replacement. Almost 4,000 street lighting columns have exceeded their design life costing some £3 million
STEPHANIE Cole stars in a new stage adaptation of Rosamund Pilcher's bestselling book The Shell Seekers. The play which runs at Lighthouse in Poole until tomorrow is a story of love, courage, determination and family troubles set in London and Cornwall
POLICE today issued a warning for people to guard their drinks against being spiked with date rape drugs. The alert comes after incidents across the county where glasses and bottles of drink appeared to have been spiked with liquid, tablets or crushed
A MAN whose trial was thrown into confusion after firebombers torched the courthouse has failed to convince Appeal Court judges that jurors could have been influenced by what happened. David Peter Cousin was one of two defendants on trial in June last
WAR veteran Cecil Woodcock invited his late wife's sister to meet his family in Weymouth - and ended up marrying her. The couple were virtual strangers when newly widowed Margaret came to the resort after the death of her sister Mary - Cecil's first wife
A MYSTICAL writer who drew inspiration from the Isle of Purbeck is back in print for the first time in half a century. The writings of Llewelyn Powys - a noted author who was part of the English country tradition - have been newly published in one volume
FRIDAY 17 Oct 6pm, Brief Encounter (PG), Rex. Classic picture of English middle class life produced in 1946. Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard fall into a hopeless affair. 6pm, No Mans Land (15), Lighthouse. A story of a Serb and two Bosnians in a booby-trapped
THIS is the tale of three childhood friends who drift apart after one of them is abducted by paedophiles while playing in the street and kept in a basement until he manages to escape four days later. Years afterwards the three are reunited in tragedy
AFTER all the hype, the interviews, the promotional giveaway DVDs, can Quentin Tarantino's fourth film really be that good? O ye of little faith, of course it can. Like some kind of cinematic sampler at work, Tarantino magpies movie styles and binds them
THE delightfully-complicated ways of love come under the microscope in writer-director Michael Blanc's accomplished romantic comedy about a acquaintances who go on holiday together to confront their relationships with each other. There's a family who
SHOWING as part of Purbeck Film festival, this sterling film adaptation of Ray Bradbury's novel is a fascinatingly arcane vision of a dystopian future. The chilling story is set in the future when the country is ruled by a fascistic regime that has outlawed
STEVE Claridge admits Weymouth start a crucial seven days in their Dr Martens Premier Division season tomorrow. The high-flying Terras face a tricky trip to Worcester City, 3pm, and follow that clash by hosting Havant and Waterlooville on Tuesday and
HARVEST sheaves from Bridport's Leakers Bakery took pride of place on Monday's Friends of the Earth demonstration against genetically modified food The bread was near the front of the march in London which involved five tractors, 200 shopping trolleys
AUTHOR Nicola Thorne told how her writing career was wrecked in a horrific car crash as a man appeared in court for dangerous driving. The best selling novelist, who appeared at Dorchester Crown Court with an eye patch and walking stick, said she thought
VICTORIANS in Lyme Regis sent a message from the past this week when a time capsule was discovered at the Marder Almshouses in Coombe Street. The capsule was buried in 1899 and contained three coins minted the same year, a copy of the Echo's sister paper
LYME Regis Town Council silenced its critics on Wednesday night - by banning them from speaking. At Wednesday's full council meeting at the Woodmead Halls, David Sole from Uplyme - a strong objector to the Strawberry Field football club project - was
WARREN Cummings has warned his Cherries team-mates to prepare themselves for the arrival of Leon Knight - the man they used to call Pele at Chelsea. The pint-sized striker, who tops the Division Two goalscoring charts, will be on parade when Cherries
LYME'S Phil Street is the best town crier in the country and his wife Dawn is the most stylish - and that's official! Phil, 37, lifted the national title at Hastings over the weekend when his wife was also judged the best-dressed consort in an outfit
PLANS to ban lorries from Lyme's narrow streets and re-route them through Uplyme are being opposed by Devon highways chiefs. They have officially objected to Dorset County Council's scheme to impose a width restriction in the resort and divert the juggernauts
