Archive

  • Here's the Chitty Chitty gourmet gang

    TOP Bournemouth theatrical producer Michael Rose, who went from Bournemouth to West End and international success with shows like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is helping to stage a lavish charity event in aid of Wessex Heartbeat. Rose has teamed up with his

  • Student's night out ended in terror

    A NIGHT-OUT ended in terror for a Bournemouth University student when he was viciously attacked and robbed in the street as he returned to his lodgings. Bournemouth University student James Hutchins was set upon as he walked along Firs Glen Road in Winton

  • Film Club (6.02)

    THE Daily Echo Film Club in conjunction with UCI offers Echo readers the chance to enjoy top movies at a cut price every week at UCI. Membership is free to every Echo reader who applies and includes: Two tickets for the price of one on a selected film

  • Ex-patient slams BBC

    A FORMER patient of top psychiatric unit St Ann's Hospital has hit out at a BBC programme criticising the facility. The 33-year-old, who asked not to be named, spent six weeks in the Canford Cliffs hospital after being arrested last October for self-harming

  • Jacket thief caught on camera pleads guilty

    A THIEF has been convicted of stealing from a Poole shop after the store's CCTV image of him committing the crime was printed in the Daily Echo, Bournemouth magistrates heard. The photograph of Derrick Lawson, of Lagland Road in Poole, was identified

  • Inquiry to decide on rise in ferry charges

    A PUBLIC inquiry will decide on proposals to increase toll charges on the Sandbanks to Studland chain ferry. The one-way fee for cars could rise from £2.20 to £2.60 and trucks from £4.40 to £5.20. No increases are being proposed by the ferry company for

  • SIMKIN EXPECTS A SANDRINGHAM PITCH BATTLE

    IT'S United versus Town in the Dorset Premier League Battle of Dorchester tomorrow (kick-off 2.15). Phil Simkin, manager of the table-topping Magpies, says he is not looking forward to his side's visit to Sandringham Sports Centre one little bit. "I had

  • TERRAS IN RACE AGAINST TIME AS WILKINSON SIGNS

    WEYMOUTH hope to complete the signing of Havant and Waterlooville skipper Shaun Wilkinson today. The Terras have agreed a fee with their Hampshire rivals for the 22-year-old midfielder, believed to be in the region of £5,000. But player-boss Steve Claridge

  • Mum with MS sets up charity for others

    A NERVE disease sufferer has launched a campaign to buy a community compression chamber. Melanie Hammond, 36, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) five years ago. Now the Beaminster mum and her friends hope to raise £8,000 to purchase an oxygen

  • Store vows to increase supply of local food

    FARMERS called in to Bridport's Somerfield supermarket in a bid to forge closer links with buyers of farm produce. West Dorset NFU secretary Paul Bennett said it was "excellent" to hear how Somerfield wanted to increase its range of local suppliers. Mr

  • LEVEL HEADED

    SHOCKED shoppers watched in horror as a youngster was lifted 15ft by a level-crossing barrier and left hanging in the air. The three-year-old had rested his foot on the bottom rail of the barrier as he watched a train go past and still had his foot there

  • Family of cell death man call for change

    THE heartbroken family of a man who died after being locked up in a police cell for nine hours has highlighted the need for an alcohol treatment centre to prevent similar tragedies. An inquest heard how Leslie Hammond had been taken to Bournemouth police

  • Something's Gotta Give (12A)

    LOVE can find you when you least expect it. Perennial bachelor Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson) has never dated a woman his own age. In fact, if a woman is over 30, he's just not interested. Harry much prefers the company and attention of younger women

  • Warne poised for comeback

    HAMPSHIRE'S Shane Warne will make his comeback after a year on the sidelines when he lines up for Victoria 2nds next week. Cricket's authorities banned the legendary Australian international for 12 months last year after he failed a drug test just before

  • Jobs axe set to fall at light fittings firm

    MORE THAN half the workforce of a long-established Poole firm could be cut as the operation closes its UK manufacturing arm. Poole Lighting Ltd, which has produced domestic light fittings for more than 23 years, has confirmed that up to 80 staff could

  • Antenna bid to improve access to net

    BETTER internet access for rural West Dorset is a step closer with an application to put up new antenna at the Eype transmitter. The planning application comes from ntl, an international communications company which used to be the Independent Broadcasting

  • Black beast jumped hedge

    THERE has been another sighting of the mystery black beast following our story last week. Liz Jones, wife of Tote chairman Peter Jones, saw the creature at Melplash on Saturday at about midday. "I was looking out of my mother's kitchen window towards

  • Project to improve life skills

    DISADVANTAGED and excluded groups from the Bridport area are being given the opportunity to learn about horticulture and cookery. The West Dorset Food and Land Trust has been awarded funding for a four-month pilot project at the Bridport Centre for Local

  • Search for wild boar continues

    SOME 16 potentially dangerous wild boar were still on the loose in the countryside around Bridport on Thursday. They are part of a herd of 30 which escaped from Mapperton Farm at the weekend. One has already been shot after it charged a woman who had

  • Yacht a big one!

    LAWYERS LA Marine have been tasked by a client to assist in the final production stages of a new 76-metre (249ft) superyacht costing 55 million euro (£37.73 million). The yacht had been under construction for two years and LA Marine - part of Bournemouth-based

  • Jobs lost and offices close as insurance broker folds

    MORE than 850,000 Hill House Hammond customers were today receiving letters telling them the insurance broker is closing all of its 230 UK offices. Hill House Hammond - part of Norwich Union - is axing 1,200 jobs and transferring another 400 to other

  • Concern for missing girl, 16

    A VULNERABLE schoolgirl has gone missing from the Dorchester area. Thomas Hardye pupil Lyndsey Howie, 16, from Charminster, was last seen by her mother three days ago when she left home for school. Police are appealing for anyone who has seen Lyndsey

  • Readers' letters

    NO CONCEPT OF THE ROLE OF HELICOPTER I FOUND it difficult to believe my eyes when I read the report of the Purbeck District Council debate about the police helicopter. I have seldom heard such rubbish and, were I one of their constituents I would be calling

  • Pupils toast the success of cafe

    PUPILS at Broadmayne First School were the toast of their pals when they opened up a morning caf. Youngsters in year four at the village school have been running the toast caf at morning break to help a school in Kenya. Every morning for a week they served

  • School wins website award

    PUPILS at Loders Primary School are really switched on when it comes to the Internet. In fact, the school's website is so good that it has just been named the best in the county, winning the primary schools' section of the Dorset Web Awards. Judges commended

  • Brewery chief's plea over centre standards

    A PLEA to West Dorset District Council to maintain Bridport Leisure Centre to the highest standards was made by brewery boss John Palmer. His comments came at the unveiling of a special plaque in memory of his father, the late Tony Palmer, who was instrumental

  • Kind shoppers help Nina

    KIND-HEARTED shoppers in Weymouth's Matalan store spent £750 on raffle tickets to improve the life of a severely disabled girl. Winners of the draw, Tom Legg, Daniel Newnham and Andrew Sloan took home a giant Humphrey bear donated by the store and runners-up

  • NEW FOREST PLANS (Feb 3)

    Land of 21 Pear Tree Close and fronting onto Ringwood Road, Bransgore; 80211, erection of dwelling and change of use of existing dental practice to dwelling; D Laverick, 11a Forest Way, Highcliffe (for Mr Lowry-Carter). Burma, Chapel Lane, Bransgore;

  • Man faces jail over internet child porn

    A MAN has been warned he could be jailed after he admitted possessing indecent photographs of children. IT worker James Alexander Jackson, 26, of Sandbourne Avenue, Blandford, was one of the thousands of names police officers in the UK were given as part

  • Troublespots covered as CCTV widens range

    A NORTH Dorset high street which has been the scene of violent disorder will now be covered by state-of-the-art CCTV cameras. Gillingham has scraped together £25,000 to upgrade its crime-busting system in the High Street to digital - and to extend coverage

  • Simon passes out as medical officer

    A FORMER Woodroffe School pupil has become a Medical Officer in the Royal Navy. Surgeon Lieutenant Simon Jaques, 32, has successfully completed a short introductory course at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth and is now in the accident and emergency

  • Planning experts urge no to Strawberry Field scheme

    PLANNING experts have given the Strawberry Field planning application the thumbs down, just a week before crunch-time. In a report to councillors on the development control west committee - the body that sanctions or rejects major planning applications

  • The clue is in the name - FOG lights

    YOU know, sometimes I think I could fill this column every week just by writing about driving habits that really annoy me. I'd probably run out of vehicle-related vitriol sooner or later, but this week let me just ask this question: fog lights - what

  • Ryanair taunt at 'wrong airport'

    THERE were red faces at Southampton Airport this week when Ryanair arrived with a large sign telling passengers it's cheaper to fly from Bournemouth. A hit squad from Ryanair positioned a large trailer outside Southampton informing Glasgow-bound travellers

  • Hospital asks to build multi-storey car park

    HOSPITAL chiefs are to seek planning permission for a 700 space multi-storey car park at the Royal Bournemouth in a bid to solve its parking crisis - and stop staff leaving. A report has revealed that 22 per cent of staff who left the trust for negative

  • Charities may suffer due to lottery closure

    WORTHY causes and organisations are set to suffer following a decision to scrap the Bournemouth Lottery. Members of the council's cabinet decided the Bournemouth Lottery must go following recommendations from officers who say it is no longer "viable".

  • The School of Rock (PG)

    BUT what can a poor boy do, 'cept play in a rock 'n' roll band... Mick Jagger summed up every rock romanticist's quandary in Street Fighting Man and it's that very line that underpins Jack Black's homage to all things Rock and, indeed, Roll. Dewey Finn

  • NEW FOREST PLANS (Feb 3)

    Land of 21 Pear Tree Close and fronting onto Ringwood Road, Bransgore; 80211, erection of dwelling and change of use of existing dental practice to dwelling; D Laverick, 11a Forest Way, Highcliffe (for Mr Lowry-Carter). Burma, Chapel Lane, Bransgore;

  • Due Preparations for the Plague

    LOWELL Hawthorne is a depressed 30-something with a lingering sense of terror after his mother was killed by terrorists in a hijacking when he was 16. Perhaps his late father, a spy, knew more about it than he let on? Samantha Raleigh was on the flight

  • Judgment Calls

    FORMER deputy district attorney Burke's handling of the main character is deft and authoritative. The downside is a narrative peppered with legal jargon but a good balance is maintained between the courtroom scenes and the criminal investigation as the

  • The Runaway

    LONELY Clarice finds a girl, a refugee from a boarding school, in her garden and hides her in her bedroom cupboard. The two girls become entranced with each other but lively, curly-haired Olga won't keep quiet or still. Her strange antics make the household

  • SWANAGE MAKE CHANGES FOR CUP SEMI

    SWANAGE and Wareham visit Chippenham tomorrow for a Dorset and Wilts Cup semi-final tie with the eventual victors locking horns with Oakmeadians. The Oaks beat Salisbury in their semi which must have pleased their former Dorchester coach Paul Absolom.

  • CLARK GETS HIS CHANCE FOR INJURY-HIT BRIDPORT

    BRIDPORT face one of their toughest tests of the season tomorrow when title-chasing Brislington visit St Mary's Field in the Screwfix Direct Premier Division (3pm). The Bristol-based side boast one of the best away records in the division, winning eight

  • Heavy rain and floods cause havoc

    TORRENTIAL rain caused flooding chaos in West Dorset on Sunday evening with police and firecrews busy responding to calls of stranded vehicles and flooded homes. Several locations along the A356 Misterton to Maiden Newton road were flooded, as was the

  • DEREK DEFIES INJURY ALERT

    CHERRIES star Derek Holmes has admitted he was "greatly relieved" to discover he had avoided another long-term injury - just days after he had hit the comeback trail. The 25-year-old targetman was concerned he may have sustained serious damage to his

  • Crucial centres are saved from closure

    LEESON House, the Juniper Centre and Colehill Library have all been saved from the axe as Dorset County Council's Cabinet wrestled with the budget. And thanks to the discount on council tax of second homes being reduced and last minute adjustments this

  • www.evil.co.uk?

    THE internet has changed the way we do everything in the space of 20 short years, but has its great potential been hijacked by the likes of depraved musician Graham Coutts who raped and killed teacher Jane Longhurst? Today we ask if the benefits outweigh

  • Dead dolphins washed up on Dorset beaches

    TWO dead dolphins have been washed up on Dorset beaches in the last few days and conservationists fear they could be the first of many. "With the winter weather and the strength of the wind there is a good possibility we could get some more," said Jenny

  • Looney Tunes: Back In Action (PG) preview

    LIVE action/animation mix in this unpretentious little jaunt from Gremlins director Joe Dante. Faced with hard times, Warner Bros is forced to consider dropping one of its major cartoon stars - Daffy Duck. As paranoid as ever, Daffy quits before he's

  • LEVEL HEADED

    SHOCKED shoppers watched in horror as a youngster was lifted 15ft by a level-crossing barrier and left hanging in the air. The three-year-old had rested his foot on the bottom rail of the barrier as he watched a train go past and still had his foot there

  • CARROLL STANDS BY IF PAYNE FAILS TEST

    TERRAS Reserves boss Dave Kiteley is sweating on the fitness of goalkeeper Paul Payne ahead of tomorrow's home Syden-hams Wessex Combination clash with Horndean (3pm). The giant gloveman is recovering from a heel injury, which forced him to miss Wednesday's

  • MASON URGES BLUES TO PROVE THEIR QUALITY

    ANDY Mason is calling on his Portland United troops to prove a point when they travel to Thatcham Town in the Sydenhams Wessex League tomorrow (3pm). The islanders joint caretaker-boss reckons his side let themselves down on their last visit to Waterside

  • Glowing report for pre-school

    A BRIDPORT pre-school has received a glowing report after its first year of operations. St Catherine's is described as "a very good organisation" by Ofsted inspectors. They report that "good quality care" is provided for children aged three to five by

  • ORMEROD BENCHED AS BRADSHAW TAKES OVER

    DORCHESTER'S number one keeper Mark Ormerod finds himself on the substitutes' bench tomorrow for the first time since joining the Magpies three years ago. The ex-Brighton and Hove Albion stopper, who has made 170 first-team appearances and was the club's

  • Firm told to scale down traffic flow

    A WHOESALE fruit and veg company based in the centre of Chideock must scale down its transport operations, a government inspector has ruled. Cains Farm had broken the terms of its planning consent by exceeding the number of vehicles allowed to use its

  • Appeal to ban traffic receives cool reception

    CALLS for a permanent traffic ban in Bridport's South Street got a cool reception from town councillors this week. Members of the new highways and transportation sub-committee were generally opposed to the idea, although they did agree that it merited

  • Turn football ground into car park call

    RELOCATING Bridport Football Club and using its ground as a giant car park is among the latest suggestions to ease town centre traffic congestion. The radical idea has been put forward in a discussion document drawn up by Coun Tony Harrison to help overcome

  • OAP, 81, kept waiting for hearing aid

    AN OCTOGENARIAN who was promised a digital hearing aid within weeks in October 2002 is still waiting. David Peverelle from East Borough in Wimborne says he will probably die before the problem gets sorted because he has been put off so often. Mr Peverelle

  • 21 of 'em - abandoned

    TWENTY-ONE today - that's how many guinea pigs staff at the RSPCA Ashley Heath animal centre discovered, when they opened two noisy boxes which suddenly appeared at their shelter. A member of staff was alerted by the loud squeaking noise, which came from

  • SAVED FROM THE CHOP

    CLOSURE threats to libraries, outdoor education centres and youth clubs in Dorset are set to be lifted after a last-minute reprieve from councillors. Dorset County Council cabinet members agreed to use more than £2.3 million of extra revenue to maintain

  • Arsonists blamed for blaze at Osprey

    ARSONISTS are being blamed for a fire in a derelict accommodation block at Portland's former HMS Osprey site. Twenty-five firefighters battled the blaze for an hour and half yesterday as it swept through the three-storey block formerly used as naval accommodation

  • Police appeal over chemist's ram-raid

    RAM-RAIDERS smashed a stolen car into the front doors of a chemist's in Weymouth early today. The thieves reversed the vehicle into the front doors to break into Preston Pharmacy at Chalbury Corner at 2.10am. A white Vauxhall Cavalier believed to have

  • Council tax figures 'are a cynical ploy'

    DORSET County Council leader Tim Palmer has slammed what he called a cynical Government ploy to make the county council's planned tax increase appear 'reduced'. His comments came as cabinet members agreed to recommend a rise of 4.93 per cent in the county

  • Police success under new act

    POLICE chief Paul Gillott has claimed early successes in the fight against rowdy vagrants in Weymouth's seafront shelters. He said that there had been no complaints of yobbish behaviour and disruption for a fortnight since officers were give new powers

  • Town's new employment office is just the job

    JOBSEEKERS in Dorchester can benefit from a revamped office that offers all services under one roof. Jobcentre Plus at Vespasian House, in Bridport Road, was officially opened by Guy Tompkins, the scheme's district manager for Dorset. Town mayor Molly

  • Cheeky dare leads to lifetime of love

    A CHEEKY teenage dare has meant lifelong love and friendship for Weymouth couple Bill and Ivy Hain. Bill, 88, and Ivy, 86, are celebrating 67 years of marriage today with a few quiet drinks with friends. The smiling couple, of Sedgefield Close, first

  • Fancy dress run money is for pet charities

    DOGGED determination and perhaps of touch of barking madness is needed to run a half-marathon. Especially if you are dressed as a 7ft tall dog named Digger. That is what Steve Orton, who lives near Christchurch railway station, is doing when he runs in

  • Formidable tale of disaster at sea

    A NEW book chronicles the events of the sinking of the HMS Formidable on New Year's Day in 1915. Before the Bells have Faded has taken authors Mark Potts and Tony Marks nearly two years to compile and contains photographs, survivor accounts, track charts

  • Own a share in luxury at former holiday camp

    FROM hi-de-hi to high rollers, a former riverside holiday camp at Christchurch is set to rise as a luxury hotel and apartments complex. Investors are being wooed to sink up to £500,000 to secure one of 12 penthouse suites on the top floor of the three-storey

  • Sailor Stuart's on the crest of a wave

    SAILING fanatic Stuart Budden is riding on the crest of a wave after having a kidney transplant. He is so grateful for his new-found zest for life since the operation that he is spreading the message of organ donation the only way he knows how - by taking