WHEN you know that a single hair can point you in the direction of a murderer, you just can't afford to overlook any details," said Jon Gadd of Dorset's Crime Scene Investigation Unit. As the office manager for the Eastern Unit, Jon manages a crack team
HEROES who dragged two critically injured men from the wreckage of a burning plane have been praised by the emergency services. The brave members of the public rushed to the aid of the light aircraft's occupants with no thought for their own safety. Despite
THE unpredictable and changeable nature of summer 2004 continued through the Bank Holiday weekend in Dorset. Although thousands of visitors flocked to the county, those in the tourist industry reported mixed fortunes. While some hotels were full, many
HE may not be the most attractive subject, but giant male orangutan Tuan is currently the centre of attention at Monkey World as he poses for his very own life-size model. The ape, one of hundreds of rescued primates housed at the sanctuary in Wool, is
FORGET resting or going to church, hitting the shops and exercising the credit card has become one of the nation's favourite Sunday pastimes. This week marks the tenth anniversary of Sunday trading, when the law was relaxed to allow traders large and
YOUNG tennis players served up their best shots on Saturday (August 28) to help a local leukaemia sufferer in her race against time to find a bone marrow donor. Scores of youngsters took part in a 12-hour tennisathon at Victoria Avenue Lawn Tennis Club
A FINAL reunion is being held before a collection of historic artefacts from the former Royal Naval cordite factory at Holton Heath is moved out of Purbeck. Thousands of people worked at the Holton Heath site over the years, from the time of its launch
THE parents of two 12-year-old girls who were indecently assaulted by a 13-year-old traveller have hit out at the "joke" sentence he received. The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted touching the girls indecently in a Dorset field during
BATTLING Cherries were hit by a sucker-punch late winner as the Luton Town express rolled on at Kenilworth Road on August 30. Sean O'Driscoll's injury-ravaged side produced an excellent defensive display and looked on course to dent the Hatters' 100 per
SHAPE up or I'll ship you out - that was manager Mark Morris' message to his inconsistent players after they followed a great result at Welling with a shocker at home to Thurrock yesterday. "Our energy levels were simply not good enough and I have too
TIME is running out for under-performing Weymouth to turn around their poor start to the season. That's the verdict of manager Steve Claridge after his ten- man Terras suffered a third defeat in six Nationwide South games at Hornchurch yesterday. The
EVERYONE knows the significance of the date 9-11 but I wonder how many people in Dorset know about 9-10. There are no horrific implications for September 10 but it is an important day for everyone concerned about the future of this county. It is your
SANDBANKS has the most expensive seaside property in England and Wales but there is a price to pay. It also has the lowest rate of property price inflation of any coastal resort in England and Wales - just 20 per cent in the three years from Q2 2001 to
HOUSE prices in seaside towns have soared compared to their inland neighbours, according to a new report. Weymouth, Lyme Regis and Poole are among the resorts profiting from the boom in coastal property. Much of the interest comes from second-home owners
NEW homes could spring up on the site of a former Weymouth factory after a developer made a third bid for planning permission. The Betterment Properties scheme includes 17 two-bedroom flats, six one-bedroom flats, five two-bedroom and four three-bedroom
IN LESS than four hours more than a thousand people in Christchurch signed a petition calling for a change in the law to give councils more power to evict bands of unwanted travellers. It follows a bitter row between townspeople and travellers from a
A MAN climbed on to the roof of his home with his 20-month-old daughter and kept police at bay for almost 12 hours after a domestic dispute escalated into a siege yesterday (August 30). Armed officers sealed off the quiet residential area of Highcliffe
IMAGINE a place where public parks are empty expanses of green space, stripped of all fun and adventure. Where ponds are filled in, ancient trees hacked back and playgrounds closed down. According to shadow home affairs spokesman David Davis, it shouldn't
SPECULATION is mounting concerning the future of Cherries star Carl Fletcher. Rumours sweeping Dean Court suggest the cash-strapped club could be on the verge of accepting a substantial bid for the highly-rated Cherries skipper. And unconfirmed reports
CHERRIES boss Sean O'Driscoll hailed his side as "magnificent" and "different class" following their 1-0 defeat at League One leaders Luton Town on August 30. Kevin Nicholls's late winner denied injury-ravaged Cherries a share of the spoils as the Hatters
CAR parking restrictions may be introduced on an access road to Swanage lifeboat, coastguard station and the coast watch team. Swanage Town Council is exploring the possibility of extending its existing car parking orders in Broad Road car park to cover
BASHLEY made it an incredible nine goals in their two Bank Holiday weekend matches as they put four past Leatherhead yesterday (August 30) after scoring five at Bromley two days earlier. They are two results that should make the rest of the division sit
NO more Mr Nice Guy - the Inland Revenue is no longer going easy on property buyers who are late filing their Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) Returns. Gone is the so-called "light touch" period of grace for SDLT with penalties for late or incorrect filing
STEPS are underway by councillors to protect parts of rural Dorset from over-development. A draft 'Replacement Structure Plan for Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole', was recently unveiled and puts forward a series of 'spatial strategies' for councils to heed
TALENTED young ventriloquist Donna-Marie swept to victory in Sunday night's Star Trail talent contest final beating 14 other contestants to take top honours at Bournemouth's Wessex Hotel. The 16-year-old, who will now go on to compete in the British Resorts
PARALYSED motor racing legend Win Percy is to return to the race track. The Weymouth driver who was a Le Mans star and three times British Touring Car champion had his world turned upside down when he became paralysed from the waist down following an
A DAZZLING finale to Weymouth's summer fireworks was witnessed by thousands of spectators. The last of the Great Days of Summer weekly spectaculars yesterday brought the crowds out on to the Esplanade for live music and an explosive display from a boat
MORE than a dozen people were arrested in Weymouth over the bank holiday weekend as part of a crackdown on violent crime and disorder. Extra officers were brought in to patrol the streets and enforce drinking bylaws for Operation Protect, the anti-violent
BUSINESS leaders today vowed to fight to stop Weymouth and Dorchester falling prey to a new trend for look-a-like towns with the same shops. Independent think-tank the New Economics Foundation warned that chain stores 'spread like weeds in the garden'
PLANS to bring more cruise ships to Portland Port will boost tourism in the resort. A luxury cruise company has announced it is expanding the number of ships stopping at the port and negotiations are underway to encourage more liners there next year.
NEW Forest ponies were joined by another kind of horsepower on Sunday August 29 when 66 vintage and classic motorcycles took part in the annual Sammy Miller Run. Starting and finishing at the Sammy Miller motorcycle museum in Bashley, the 55-mile route
A SPOKESMAN for a farmer proposing to put a chicken farm near one of Dorset's best-loved beauty spots has defended his choice of site. The scheme at Farrington near Blandford would house 24,000 chickens in a massive barn, clearly visible from Hambledon
