POLICE have seized a significant quantity of cannabis plants from a warehouse in Boscombe. On May 5 police officers were guarding the scene at a disused building called Fantastic Flowers in Norwood Place. Scenes of crime officers wearing white suits were
WITH Radio Four coming through in one ear and her hands-free phone earpiece in the other, Judy Jamieson was intently studying the exit polls and keeping in touch with Tory seats across Dorset and Wiltshire at the same time. Text messages from Conservative
TONY Blair is today celebrating his 52nd birthday and an unprecedented third term for Labour after victory in the general election. But the voters sent the Prime Minister a clear message by returning him to power with a dramatically reduced majority -
THIS time next year, Poole could be a smoke-free zone. The council and Poole's Primary Care Trust have been trying to secure a ban on smoking in enclosed public places in the borough, and the move has made it past almost every hurdle. The final decision
SWANAGE Railway volunteers celebrate 120 years of steam travel in Purbeck with a re-enactment of the Victorian opening ceremony which took place at Swanage on May 20, 1885. The first steam train ran from Swanage to Wareham and Corfe Castle, replacing
BASED on John Irving's novel, we follow frazzled children's fiction writer Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges) as his marriage falls apart following the death of his sons in a road accident. Hardly the most obvious stuff of laughter, but when he hires student Eddie
FOR disaffected Colombian 17-year-old Maria Alvarez (Catalino Sandino Moreno), the lure of the drugs trade is simply too great. Trapped in a dead-end, low-paid job preparing long-stemmed roses for shipping abroad, Maria is desperate to escape her unsympathetic
AFTER countless supporting roles in Black Hawk Down, Troy and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Orlando Bloom finally graduates to leading man status in a major Hollywood blockbuster. It's his name in bold type above the film's title and his beatific image
GERMANY'S entry as Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars is a powerful account of the dramatic events of April 1945, based on the books Inside Hitler's Bunker by Joachim Fest and Until The Final Hour by Traudl Junge and Melissa Muller. Hitler
FOR disaffected Colombian 17-year-old Maria Alvarez (Catalino Sandino Moreno), the lure of the drugs trade is simply too great. Trapped in a dead-end, low-paid job preparing long-stemmed roses for shipping abroad, Maria is desperate to escape her unsympathetic
THE trouble with glossy modern screen versions of much-loved pop cultural icons of yesteryear is that The Fans are never going to be happy. Just ask George Lucas. So it comes as no surprise that a few highly critical, not to say damning, reviews of The
THE Beatles famously sang, "I don't care too much for money/Money can't buy me love." Clare Kilner's frothy romantic comedy, based on Elizabeth Young's novel Asking For Trouble, suggests the Fab Four might have been wrong - cold hard cash can bring people
LONG-serving MP Sir John Butterfill held off a strong challenge from the Liberal Democrats to secure another term representing Bournemouth West. While all eyes were on the perceived marginal seat of Bournemouth East, Sir John was elected on a reduced
SHADOW home secretary Oliver Letwin, considered one of the success stories of Iain Duncan Smith's reign, managed to hold on to his rural seat. Mr Letwin MP retained his Dorset West seat with 24,763 votes and an increased majority of 2,461 (4.62 per cent
IT WAS a seat that the polls suggested Labour would lose for sure. But as dawn broke this morning, it was revealed that sitting MP Jim Knight had defied the national trend to keep hold of South Dorset. He even managed to turn a knife-edge majority of
TORY new boy Tobias Ellwood enjoyed a comfortable victory to secure the coveted Bournemouth East seat last night. Liberal Democrat hopes of making a historic inroad in Bournemouth fell by the wayside as the perceived marginal seat turned into a relatively
YOU are in for a real treat when Molly Bennett and Nellie McDonough return in this new tale, they have been mates for over 20 years and their humour and kindness keeps everyone amused with their antics. When an elderly neighbour is robbed of her most
ELEVEN lively, original, but rather black short stories that have a link with a particular animal. These include a zoo worker who considers his co-workers' lives while washing an elephant, giraffes that demand better living conditions from their keeper
HISTORY books used to follow a simple concept: they told the story of nations and civilisations through the actions of their monarchs and generals. Now there's a tendency to study what life was like for ordinary people, rather than the rich and powerful
TOUCHING memories of an elite athlete who died while training, aged 42, were recollected at a packed funeral service in Poole. The chapel was packed to the point of standing room only as around 150 family, friends and colleagues bade farewell to Mitch
POLICE have refused to confirm if white powder - which sparked an anthrax scare at a post sorting office - was attached to a parking fine. However, they have said the powder, which triggered a four-hour evacuation of the main Royal Mail sorting office
FOUR young firestarters have been arrested as police start their annual crackdown on arson on Poole heathlands. The youths, aged 13 and 14, have admitted starting blazes near the grounds of Carter Community College on Blandford Road, Hamworthy, on April
Mental strength is needed from Bees MENTAL strength is required to beat Hallen and keep Bridport in the Screwfix Direct Western League according to boss Kevin Donovan. The Bees find themselves second from bottom for the first time in six weeks and now
Bees have mountain to climb Devizes Town 1 Bridport 0 BRIDPORT'S second defeat of the weekend may have hammered the final nail into their relegation coffin. Simon Price's winner shortly before the interval secured his own club's survival but has left
Bees slip deeper into trouble Bridport 0 Melksham Town 3 MELKSHAM inflicted the first of two weekend defeats on Bridport that has seen them slip to within in an inch of their Premier Division lives. In a game full of defensive mistakes the Wiltshire side's
MAZDA is preparing the ground for the arrival later this year of its version of the latest trend for mini-MPVs. The Mazda5 made its world debut at last year's Paris Motor Show and its makers anticipate that it will find its way on to company car choice
PEUGEOT'S revolutionary electric sliding door 1007 will cost from £10,850 when it goes on sale here this summer. Available in Dolce and Sport trim levels, the three-door small car range starts with the entry price 1.4-litre Dolce and Sport 1.4 2-Tronic
TRIBUTES have been pouring in following the death of former Weymouth and Dorchester footballer Bob Forrest, aged 73. The ex-Leeds United inside forward, passed away on Tuesday after suffering a stroke a few days earlier. Born in Rossington near Doncaster
COLLINS Obuya will be in for a culture shock when he makes his Premier Division debut for Weymouth tomorrow. Having graced the world's top cricketing venues, the Kenya and ex-Warwickshire leg spinner begins his Seasiders career at the somewhat less prestigious
STALWART Simon Browne's Weymouth career is over. The long-serving defender has today been released by the club along with youngsters Charlie Welch, Ludovic Cadima and Francisco Ramos. Browne made his debut for the Terras aged 15 and manager Garry Hill
BRIDPORT is in mourning this week after the death of Rex Trevett - an exceptionally talented and courageous man who touched the lives of thousands during his lifetime. Rex Trevett, 71, who was known affectionately as Mr Music, died at his home in St Katherine's
SUPPORTERS of a sea angling jetty at West Bay are confident they can reel in the necessary cash. Bridport Mayor Geoff Ackerman - chairman of the steering group - told the annual town meeting on Tuesday that he was optimistic the scheme would now go ahead
STEEP steps leading to a popular West Dorset beach are being removed this week. The National Trust closed the route down to St Gabriel's Beach between Seatown and Charmouth last year following a major cliff fall. Experts said the steps could collapse
NEW Forest art and jewellery store Reklava is set to appear on TV's Risking It All. Filming is in progress at the store for series two of the Channel 4 entrepreneurs' show. Presenter Martin Webb - a multimillionaire entrepreneur - will outline how Jaguar
DOUGLAS Penn recently had a landmark birthday - his 70th - and being able to celebrate it with his friends and family made the occasion all the more special. Four years ago, Doug was relaxing in the sun in Tenerife when his plastic chair gave way, hurting
LOTTERY funding of £13,480 has been secured in Wimborne for a summer of activities to commemorate 60 years since the end of the Second World War. The summer will be packed with activities, including exhibitions in the town's museum, services at the Minster
TORY hopeful Ed Matts saw his election dream shattered by a series of early campaign clangers which came back to haunt him. Mr Matts lost out in South Dorset as Labour's Jim Knight was returned as the constituency's MP with an increased majority. Despite
VETERANS and their families are invited to celebrate the 60th anniversary of VE Day on Sunday. The celebrations in Weymouth will include a street party and remembrance event at the Nothe Fort and a family fun day on the beach. Events at Nothe Fort will
IT IS business as usual in South and West Dorset today as MPs Jim Knight and Oliver Letwin were returned to Westminster. Labour's Mr Knight was triumphant after he reversed the trend of a nationwide swing to the Conservatives by winning the Dorset South
A WAR artist whose work has been shown at the Pentagon has accepted a commission for a mural in New Zealand - just weeks before her 90th birthday. Evelyn Cooke was seconded to the US army and spent two-and-a-half years in France following the liberation
THE removal of 11 mature trees at Uplyme could spell the end for a colony of rare bats, conservationists have warned. They say the tiny creatures may quit their centuries old home close to the Devon Hotel when their vital flight corridor is axed. Around
WILL the proposed replacement Avon Causeway bridge near Sopley be a bridge too wide? That is the question members of Dorset County Council planning committee will have to consider on Monday May 9. The existing rusting road bridge over the River Avon is
WILL motorists one day pay a congestion charge to enter Lyme Regis? Will the public ever see inside the Three Cups Hotel again? Will young people ever be able to buy a home here? Is the town already just a seaside retirement home? And what exactly is
VETERAN Lyme town councillor Stan Williams has been thrown off the authority for six months. The ban has been imposed by the Standards Board for England after an adjudication panel found him guilty of failing to treat a member of public with respect and
STEVE Fletcher insists Cherries will be "fully focused" on clinching a League One play-off place against his trouble-torn hometown club Hartlepool. Cherries face Pools in a sell-out 'winner-takes-all' showdown at Dean Court on Saturday - just days after
I REALLY should know better. But the truth is, I just can't help myself. See, despite everything, I'm still thrilled at the prospect of a new Star Wars movie. Maybe it's the hype. Or maybe it's the memory of a visit to a crowded cinema when I was ten
TONY Blair is today celebrating his 52nd birthday and an unprecedented third term for Labour after victory in the general election. But the voters sent the Prime Minister a clear message by returning him to power with a dramatically reduced majority -
WITH Radio Four coming through in one ear and her hands-free phone earpiece in the other, Judy Jamieson was intently studying the exit polls and keeping in touch with Tory seats across Dorset and Wiltshire at the same time. Text messages from Conservative
GERMANY'S entry as Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars is a powerful account of the dramatic events of April 1945, based on the books Inside Hitler's Bunker by Joachim Fest and Until The Final Hour by Traudl Junge and Melissa Muller. Hitler
AFTER countless supporting roles in Black Hawk Down, Troy and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Orlando Bloom finally graduates to leading man status in a major Hollywood blockbuster. It's his name in bold type above the film's title and his beatific image
KEVIN Bacon gives the performance of his life as a convicted paedophile released back into the community in Nicole Kassell's controversial and sensitively handled drama. After 12 years behind bars, Walter (Bacon) re-emerges into society, ironically relocated
THE leading man and director in this sequel to the 2002 action-adventure may have changed, but the reckless pursuit of high-octane, adrenaline-pumping thrills is unequivocally the same. Masked assailants storm the National Security Agency's underground
KEVIN Rodney Sullivan's culture-clash comedy, intended as a humorous spin on Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, bears uncanny similarities to Meet The Parents. Like that smash hit confection, Guess Who pits an over-protective and scheming father against a
I SPEND an awful lot of my time trying to convince people that snooker is a rock 'n' roll sport - Higgins' drinking, Ronnie's ranting and King's fighting are, after all, good value even if you're not remotely interested in "potting as many balls as you
CONSERVATIVE Robert Syms was elected as MP for Poole for a third term with a convincing majority. He immediately thanked the people of Poole for showing faith in him. A 15 percent increase in the Lib Dem vote was not enough to close the majority enjoyed
ROBERT Walter was returned to North Dorset for his own historic third term but Liberal Democrat challenger Emily Gasson cut his majority by nearly 2,000 votes. In his victory speech he thanked all those who had supported him but most particularly "those
QUICK thinking by firefighters was all that prevented a Poole pub and restaurant from burning to the ground, it has been claimed. A crew from Poole responded to calls that the Rising Sun Thai restaurant was on fire at around 5.20pm on Wednesday May 4,
A MOTHER duck took a brood under her wing at the Dorset Echo headquarters in Weymouth. Eleven delightful ducklings won the hearts of staff and visitors after nesting in the shrubbery outside the office on the Granby Industrial Estate. Carolyn Le Page,
TWO men have been warned they face jail after guns and a dead young deer were found in a pick-up truck in the New Forest. The pair were arrested after being stopped by a police anti-poaching patrol on a country lane at Picket Post shortly after 11pm.
AFTER the styling controversy that surrounded the launch of the BMW 5 Series saloon some years ago, the Touring (estate) version is something in the way of light relief - a modern BMW that you can judge on its performance and functionality rather than
A LYME Regis couple who were victims of the devastating Tsunami that swept through Asia on Boxing Day have finally been laid to rest - four months after the disaster. John and Mary Levett, who were both in their sixties, were remembered at a service at
A MAN who brandished a 10-inch kitchen knife at his ex-partner and threatened to kill her has been jailed for 44 months. Shopfitter Colin Radford, 37, of Tuckers Lane, Poole, subjected Gail Birkin to an ordeal lasting more than two hours. Prosecutor Nigel
The Amityville Horror (15) UCI, ABC *** Effective remake of horror classic stars Ryan Reynolds. The Aviator (12A) Odeon (Wed only) *** Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Martin Scorsese's ambitious biopic of Hollywood legend Howard Hughes. Boo, Zino & the
REGARDED by experts as Charlie Chaplin's finest work, the silent comedy classic City Lights was made in 1931 - two years after the introduction of sound. We find Chaplin in his defining role as The Tramp, suffering all manner of indignities and ill fortune
AFTER winning back the constituency from the Liberal Democrats in 1997 and increasing his majority enormously four years ago, Christchurch Tory MP Chris Chope could do no more this time than successfully defend his seat. And that is just what he and the
ANNETTE Brooke proved she is no "one-term wonder" by turning one of the most marginal seats in the country into practically a safe seat for the Lib Dems. There was no indication that only four years ago Mrs Brooke had pulled off the tightest of wins to
TORY Desmond Swayne retained New Forest West with a massive increase in his majority. On the night that Labour secured an historic third term in office, the true-blue New Forest stayed loyal to the Tories, who won both seats in the district. In New Forest
THIS is a sorry tale - literally - but that doesn't mean it's a bad one. Food critic Marc Basset writes a scathing review that leads a chef to commit suicide. Struck by unaccustomed guilt, he is moved to apologise to the widow, and finds that her forgiveness
WOMEN taking part in this weekend's Race for Life event in Poole are being urged to make a final push for fund-raising. More than 1,600 women will be pounding their way around Poole Park on Sunday May 8, not Saturday as published in this week's Advertiser
Seasiders close in on title Merriott 0 Lyme Regis 1 LYME took a massive step forward towards clinching the Perry Street Premier Division title with this win against one of the side's with high hopes of the accolade. Indeed, had the home side won this
24hr round for fund-raising Buxton STEVE BUXTON will tee-off on his longest round of golf ever in the name of charity this summer. The 35-year-old will play non-stop for 24 hours on Lyme Regis Golf Club's course in a bid to raise funds for three good
Winning start for Bridport BRIDPORT 255-5 (20pts) beat PIMPERNE 48 (2pts) by 207 runs BRIDPORT buried the ghosts of last year's shocking start with an emphatic victory in Dorset League Division Two on Saturday. Half centuries from Sean Fitzgerald and
BRIDPORT is fed up with its treatment at the hands of the district council. Town council leader Charles Wild claims their new "hardline" approach has seen relations between the two authorities plummet. Speaking at the annual town meeting on Tuesday he
A BLUEPRINT for Bridport's future development was officially launched this week. The Bridport and West Bay town plan will identify community needs and look for ways to meet them. And it will not be full of "pie in the sky" Coun Tony Fifield assured the
JOBSHOP UK has been awarded further business with Dorset HealthCare NHS Trust to supply temporary staff as Medical Secretaries, Team Assistants, Administrators and Receptionists. The Poole based recruitment agency is primarily supplying staff to the Community
THE NATIONAL Trust is removing a 'highly dangerous' set of beach steps on the Jurassic coast because people have been ignoring signs not to use them. The steps, which are cut into the cliff face, provide the only access to St Gabriel's beach which lies
DISTRICT planners will visit the controversial Barnes Meadow estate at Uplyme before deciding whether to allow work on the final phase to begin. Members of the development control committee decided on Tuesday to call for a site meeting after hearing there
