THE banner along the sides of the Poole Harbour chain ferry says it all. A new bylaw has come into force in which all craft under 50 metres, passing through the harbour entrance, must give way to the ferry. This is the first time that the ferry, the Bramble
PETROL prices in Dorset are expected to rocket to more than a £1 a litre in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and continued unrest in the Middle East. The storm wrought havoc on the southern states of the United States, devastating the oil refining industry
FOR 300 years they have been missing from the countryside - but now one of three small colonies of wild boar in England is scavenging around the Dorset backwoods. What should be done about the re-emergence of animals that for centuries were extinct in
IT'S RUBBISH - that's the verdict of angry Upton residents who are unable to dump their waste in Poole. Instead those who live a scant two miles from the town's civic dump, but outside the borough, are faced with a 14-mile round trip to Wareham. To vent
ALEX Pike bemoaned his side's wayward finishing as his Hamworthy United side were surprisingly held to a draw at home to Hamble. After falling behind in the first half, Hammers spurned a host of gilt-edged chances before Mickey Hubbard showed them the
WIMBORNE'S impressive start to the new Wessex League season came unstuck as nine-man Fareham Town registered a deserved 3-1 win in their noon showdown. Paul Arnold's side, unbeaten in three league games before their clash at Cams Alders, were strangely
WEST Hants were beaten in the semi-finals of the KIA National Club League finals for the second successive year after going down 4-2 to Gosling on their home clay courts at the weekend. The Bournemouth-based outfit, who beat WImbledon 4-2 in the quarter-finals
AN EXASPERATED Mark Morris is considering making a comeback after his defenders let him down again at Welling. "We've reached a situation where I am seriously considering pulling my boots out again," said the 42-year-old former Wimbledon, Shef-field United
AN EXASPERATED Mark Morris is considering making a comeback after his defenders let him down again at Welling. "We've reached a situation where I am seriously considering pulling my boots out again," said the 42-year-old former Wimbledon, Shef-field United
GARRY Hill blasted Weymouth's terrace boo-boys after his ten-man side drew 1-1 at home against late-arrivers Yeading. The Conference South title favourites were jeered off by sections of the Wessex Stadium crowd in a game delayed by more than a hour when
THEY'RE losing all track of time in Wimborne. First the clock from Ye Olde Clock House disappeared from above an optician's business. Now a second clock is about to be taken down from above the Walnut Tree in West Borough. But town clerk Laurence Hewitt
TRAVELLERS parked on fields at Poundbury today said they were waiting to collect the body of a relative who died at the Great Dorset Steam Fair. A group of caravans parked on the land, which belongs to Prince Charles' Duchy of Cornwall, last night after
THEY knew all there was to know about the crying game, but there could be only one winner in the annual Dorset Town Criers' Championship. And it was no crying shame for reigning champ Wimborne's town crier Chris Brown who kept up the winner's tradition
A DRUNKEN teenager who head-butted a disabled man and demanded his mobile phone was warned he narrowly escaped a prison sentence. Alexander Rarity, 18, of Webbs Way, Bournemouth, attacked disabled Peter Singer as he returned home with friends from Linwood
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy has written to Poole council to complain about a suburban pub extending its licensing hours. Joe Miles, from Glenair Avenue, is upset about the Britannia Inn's proposals to open later because his bedroom window faces the back of the
BROCKENHURST have been rocked by the resignation of player-manager Graham Kemp. Kemp, who took over at Grigg Lane almost two years ago, handed his resignation to chairman Dave Stansbridge before Saturday's game with AFC Totton. And the Wessex veteran
THERE'S little danger of Mercury Music Prize nominee Seth Lakeman getting delusions of grandeur - he got the news of his nomination on the way to a gig in Wimborne when his car blew up! Seth, 28, from Devon, was booked to appear at Wimborne Acoustic Folk
A RARE medal which belonged to a Weymouth navy hero is to go under the hammer in London. The Naval General Service medal was awarded to Commander James Long for his role in defeating a French frigate in 1799. The gong has been valued at £10,000 to £12,000
A HEARTBROKEN couple from Weymouth have completed a 1,057-mile walk the length of Britain to raise awareness of a disease that claimed the life of their 22-year-old daughter. Robert and Sheila Skinner, who met at Weymouth Grammar School in the 1970s,
EMPLOYERS are signing up for a jobs fair aimed at getting more than 550 redundant New Look staff back to work. Ten organisations including ASDA, Tecan and Dorset County Council have confirmed they will host a stall at the fashion giant's event at its
BOY RACERS who are deliberately trying to kill resting birds in a Weymouth car park have been condemned by police and conservationists. Two herring gulls have already died in what police have described as a 'despicable act'. People are now being urged
CIDER drinkers in Shaftesbury could soon be well catered for as the Town Council prepares to plant a community orchard. Or, depending which crop is best suited for the soil, retirement homes in the area could be given a regular supply of apples. Shaftesbury
BOURNEMOUTH Poppies still top Wessex One but their 100-per-cent start to the campaign was ended at crisis club AFC Newbury. Off the back of five straight wins in the league, Pete Moore's men would have been confident of extending their run at troubled
LYMINGTON and New Milton bagged their first Ryman League point at Croydon Athletic, but were left fuming with the officials for denying them all three. Lee Chudy looked to have won the game for Linnets with his first-half goal before a goal by former
HI-TECH companies innovating the future are being urged to seize their opportunity at the Echo-backed Dorset Business Awards. The IoD Innovation award, sponsored by Bournemouth University, awaits the company that has best exploited its new technology.
A MULTI-million pound Olympic investment in Weymouth and Portland will enable the area to revamp its bucket and spade image, according to a new report. At least £9.23 million will be poured into the area - the venue for the 2012 Olympic sailing events
FILMMAKER Ken Russell was on fine form at Hordle Village Fair at the weekend. The director of countless TV and cinema films such as Lady Chatterley and Tommy was opening his first ever fair as a VIP. The event, held on the village recreation ground, was
FREE bus travel for the over-60s and disabled next year will cost Christchurch council tax payers dearly unless the government helps foot the bill. In his budget speech earlier this year, Chancellor Gordon Brown announced the present concessionary travel
GIRLS as young as 14 in Dorset are risking making themselves infertile by catching chlamydia. The latest figures show chlamydia levels in those aged 24 and under have rocketed by over 25 per cent in Dorset and Somerset since 2001 and the sexually transmitted
KEVIN Spurgeon's valiant attempt to upstage two of Britain's golfing greats fell agonisingly short at Woburn on Sunday. The 50-year-old Dudsbury touring professional was pipped at the post in the Bovis Lend Lease European Seniors Masters by former Ryder
CHRISTCHURCH'S bright start to the campaign continued as they made it five wins on the spin with an impressive 3-1 victory at Andover. Andy Leader's side did it the hard way after falling behind early on. But Dave Roberts' penalty levelled matters almost
BASHLEY were left still hunting for their first Ryman One victory of the season after two late goals saw them go down at home to leaders Dover Athletic. But player-manager Dave Wakefield was encouraged by the display, which saw his side match the Kent
BUSINESSES were today asked to support a groundbreaking project to steer young people away from alcohol. Police and councils in Weymouth and West Dorset are teaming up to launch Operation Blitz, which aims to encourage youngsters to get involved in fun
