THIS intrepid Aussie traveller has sparked off a major panic after hitching a ride all the way from Down Under to a garage in Boscombe. Following the well-worn backpacker route, the adventurous arachnid took off on a tour of Europe, stowing away on a
CLAIMS that there are too few police officers to cope with drink-drivers this Christmas have been denied in Dorset. The first week of the county's safety campaign saw 37 positive breath tests, and senior officers have warned that hundreds more tests will
HUNDREDS of schoolchildren left the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth on Tuesday grinning from ear to ear after being treated to a pantomime spectacular. Pupils from St Mark's Primary School in Talbot Village became VIPs for the day after winning the Daily
PAEDOPHILES have been warned that their sordid pasts will eventually catch up with them after a Bournemouth man who sexually abused three young children for more than a decade was jailed for five-and-a-half years. Adam Clubb from Mandale Road, Kinson,
CAMPAIGNERS are hard at work trying to secure Swanage's status as a Fairtrade town. The Fairtrade logo means producers receive a greater share of rewards for their labour. Swanage Town Council will shortly decide on whether to support the campaign - if
A 19-YEAR-OLD Poole woman who was seriously injured in a hit-and-run smash has been moved from an intensive care unit. The teenager was left fighting for her life after being hit outside a Bournemouth bar as she enjoyed a night out with friends on Friday
HOW Bashley didn't move up to fifth in Ryman Division One after their meeting with Hastings United at Bashley Road is simply baffling, following a 2-2 draw that massively flattered the visitors. The New Forest outfit had a total of 24 corners in a match
LYMINGTON and New Milton's flying full-back Pete Smith admits he is finding the speculation surrounding his future "frustrating". The 19-year-old has turned in a series of exhilarating performances for the Fawcett's Field side this season and his eye-catching
PORTLAND are facing a goalkeeping crisis ahead of Saturday's Wessex League trip to Brockenhurst after their only experienced keeper Paul Gadsby suffered suspected fractured ribs in last night's Sammy McGowan Cup defeat. The former Bridport and Dorchester
TERRAS outcast Shaun Wilkinson has branded Weymouth 'horrible' and wants to make his loan switch to Havant and Waterlooville permanent. The midfielder has returned to Westleigh Park for a second time having left the Hawks for Weymouth earlier this year
ENGLISH rider Ricky Ashworth is really looking forward to working with Pirates manager Neil Middleditch after putting pen to paper on a one-year loan deal to ride for the club next year. The 22-year-old Salford-born racer is a Sheffield asset, finished
SIXPENNY Handley First School's Christmas production was extra special this year as it took place in the school's brand new hall. Until now, concerts and shows have been held in the nearby village church. But parents and friends who packed the building
EMOTIONS are running high in Ashley Heath after developers won an appeal to build a block of flats in a quiet road. Residents were jubilant last December when East Dorset planning officers refused plans under delegated powers for two, two-storey blocks
STAFF from Weymouth Sea Life Park have been called out to rescue a baby grey seal. It was the first such mission that staff have ever been involved in because the nearest grey seal colonies are around the coasts of south Devon and Cornwall. The Sea Life
DICK Whittington has lost his cat. Staff at Weymouth Pavilion put out an appeal for the return of the pantomime pussy after it disappeared from their lobby. The cat is nearly two feet tall, black and white and would answer to the name Tommy - if it was
A DISABLED mum fears she has to stop community work because she has waited months for an electric wheelchair. Illness has caused Jeanie Chubb to reduce her work as a Dorchester church deacon and with other town groups. The 47-year-old, who has a degenerative
FORMER engineering workers in the Forest have been left in suspense after the American motor giant Federal-Mogul pulled out of discussions over their pensions. About 4,000 people worked for the old Wellworthy piston ring company at its two Lymington factories
ONE of the six defendants charged with the murder of a Hampshire granddad has been acquitted. Peter Crutcher was released from the trial into the murder of Jeffrey Rostigina after the jury was directed to find him not guilty by the judge. Mr Justice Gross
RETIRED Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent is championing a scheme to encourage people to recycle their old Christmas cards. The sporting legend, whose parents live in Child Okeford, near Blandford, has teamed up with Recycle Now, the national recycling campaign
HOW would you like to spend Christmas watching other people have a really terrible time? Well, that's exactly what millions of people will be doing this festive season in the name of entertainment. I am talking, of course, about the drama being served
IT WAS a sprinkling of Christmas magic for two people who devote so much time and effort bringing happiness to others - and it came thanks to the Daily Echo. Among the many cards being sent and received at this time of year, an envelope of a different
BIRD fancier Bill Oddie was once hit over the head with his own telescope by an irate landowner when he was checking out wildlife as a small boy. He's also been sprayed with slurry, shot at by gamekeepers and has even risked his assets by straddling barbed
A DYING man who had plunged from a fourth-storey window told a paramedic that he was punched prior to his fall, an inquest heard. Foreign languages teacher Peter John Watkins was found in a yard behind the Sahara Restaurant in Seamoor Road, Westbourne
DON'T miss Saturday's Daily Echo for your 112-page guide to Christmas television, plus the ever-popular annual megaquiz, with great prizes for the winners.
SWANAGE and Wareham extended their unbeaten South West Two (East) run to nine but were indebted to a late Chris Leak try to finally seal an unconvincing 33-21 victory over Amersham and Chiltern. At 25-7 ahead midway through the second half, Swans looked
INFLATION could hit the government's 2.0 per cent target two years ahead of schedule - putting upward pressure on interest rates. Latest data reveals inflation last month stood at its highest level since June - up 0.3 per cent to 1.5 per cent. It "came
ICE skating is back on the leisure-time agenda in Bournemouth again this Christmas and Plummie the Clown and dancer Gabriella from Zippos Circus decided to test their skills on the new temporary rink at the BIC's Purbeck Hall. The pair, whose circus ring
FOLLOWING his sell-out concert at Lighthouse in Poole on Sunday, Welsh singing star Aled Jones will be returning to Dorset early next year when he opens a major UK tour with a concert in Bournemouth. The show at the town's Pavilion Theatre will be on
PROUD pupils are today celebrating a glowing report for their college following a visit from Ofsted. Budmouth Technology College in Weymouth was given the stamp of approval with a 'very good' rating. Staff, students, governors and parents were delighted
COUNCILLORS have hit out at an Audit Commission report for being too negative at a special meeting in Weymouth. They claim that the draft annual audit and inspection letter failed to take into account improvements at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council
PLANS to build four new homes off a road in Dorchester are facing opposition from families living nearby. Householders fear the homes planned for a site to the west of James Road, south of Queens Avenue, will lead to congestion on the street and a loss
A FORMER hotelier had a tear in her eye when she saw her beloved premises being demolished. The Streamside Hotel in Preston, Weymouth, was being torn down to make way for nearly 30 flats and former owner Gwen McKell-Davies could barely look at the tumbling
AT a time when demand for nursing home places is increasing and local hospitals have been criticised for bed-blocking, a Highcliffe rest home is closing almost one fifth of its bed spaces to meet new government standards for patient care. No residents
CONTROVERSIAL campaigner Joan van Schaick has spoken out in favour of living wills currently being debated in Parliament. Critics fear the proposed Mental Capacity Bill could lead to "euthanasia by the back door". But former Lymington teacher Mrs van
I HATE to say "I told you so" but hey. As I predicted two weeks ago, the high-pitched, high-jinxer Joe Pasquale was indeed crowned King of the Jungle during the live, and, thanks to Paul Burrell, hilarious final of I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!
POOLE is considered to be so strongly anti-smoking that a motion has gone to council calling on the government to beef up its legislation. A study carried out by the Borough of Poole concluded that the majority of people surveyed in the town want to see
DORSET'S top under 13-year-old player has won the prestigious Eastern Regional Championship. Matthew McMillan (Homefield School) travelled to Stevenage for the competition and put on a top class display to lift the trophy. In the preliminary rounds, the
ANDY Hennessy retained his Christchurch 10km road race title after a thrilling three way battle, while Kathy Bailey improved her women's best time for the event as she finished 15th overall. Though local favourite Lee Rodriguez did his best to add to
BRIDPORT 0 EXMOUTH 1 Bridport can consider themselves unlucky not to have come away with at least a point from last night's Screwfix Direct Premier Division clash. A first half strike was enough to beat them, but the Bees look a different team under new
DORSET County Council has won a legal battle for ownership of land earmarked for the long-awaited Orange Route. The authority yesterday took eco-warriors to court after they vowed to carry on camping behind the Safeway supermarket in protest against the
CHRISTMAS light campaigners are already gearing up to make next year's festive display even better. After more than a year of campaigning and more than a week before Christmas Day, Margaret Morrissey, chairman of the fundraising appeal, is already looking
BOTHENHAMPTON has lost its community spirit and will lose its community hall and play area too, say the organisers of a charity conga. Nicola Dennis of the village hall committee said: "Not even a festive conga could raise the community spirit of Bothenhampton
TEN children in Dorset need a new home and family and the county council is urging people to become long-term foster carers. As Christmas approaches the council is highlighting the plight of what it describes as "a small but significant number of children
DEAN Court chairman Peter Phillips today said there had been "no developments overnight" in the club's quest to sign loan star John Spicer. Spicer, who returned to Arsenal following the end of his successful three-month loan spell at the weekend, trained
