A FATHER-OF-THREE says he fears for his family's safety after vandals threw lit petrol bombs at his car and in to his garden. Mark Langrish, 44, who lives on the Beaufort Estate in Southbourne, believes the damage, which happened in the early hours of
LOVE is sweet for the Bere Regis woman who bought scores of KitKats so that she could propose to her boyfriend in style today - Valentine's Day - in the most romantic city in the world. Lynn Fancy, 32, from Old Barn Road, bought enough KitKats to fill
LOW-BUDGET British film Vera Drake fought off the Hollywood blockbusters on Saturday night to triumph at the Baftas. Imelda Staunton beat Charlize Theron and the hotly tipped Kate Winslet to the Best Actress prize. And Mike Leigh was chosen ahead of Martin
THEIR actions have transformed the lives of both patients and staff at Poole Hospital. And those who donated to the Daily Echo-backed Wish List campaign are now being thanked by fundraising bosses after smashing the £100,000 mark in just six months. The
IT just had to happen - Karim Benssaouda returned to Hamworthy United in a Bournemouth Poppies shirt and promptly found the back of the net as Poppies went on to win 2-0 at the County Ground. It was also Poppies' seventh clean sheet in their last eight
VALENTINE'S Day may only have been around the corner, but there was little love lost in Suffolk with an FA Vase quarter-final spot up for grabs. Both Lymington and New Milton and Bury Town had only made the last eight on one occasion in their histories
MARK Derrien will lead Dorchester Cricket Club's first team when they return to the NSA Dorset League One next season following their relegation from the top flight. All-rounder Derrien - known as 'Deadly' by his friends - was appointed to replace Simon
STEVE Johnson claimed ten-man Weymouth were the victims of 'selective refereeing' during their shock 3-2 defeat at Redbridge. The Terras boss fumed after star striker Kirk Jackson was red-carded for dissent with seven minutes left and the scores level
DON'T say "I do" on Valentine's Day today without saying "I don't" to the taxman. Getting married carries certain tax advantages, especially when it comes to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) and Inheritance Tax (IHT). But before you get swept off your feet, don't
THE derelict Hardy accommodation blocks at Portland are becoming ever more dangerous. Lack of security - there is a hole in the perimeter fencing and the front gates are unlocked - makes it easy for intruders to get in and go on a wrecking spree. Vandals
A RALLY driver today told of his shock after being involved in a collision which left a spectator fighting for his life. Anthony Wilmington was competing in the Wyedean Forest Rally over the weekend when he collided with a spectator at the Forest of Dean
BALLET dancers are poised for stardom after being chosen to perform in a prestigious production of Sleeping Beauty. Weymouth schoolgirls Charlotte Dafter, Danielle Garland and Laura Tiltman will bring the classic fairytale to life after their talent shone
A PENSIONER who fundraised to try and get a swimming pool built in Weymouth is delighted at council plans to carry out vital work on the 30-year-old building. News of the package, which includes £17,500- worth of immediate work and proposals or suggestions
KILLER Stephen Raymond Metcalfe, who beat a gay man to death before setting fire to his Weymouth flat, is facing life in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter. Career criminal Metcalfe, 27, who suffers from a severe personality disorder and
A HOMELESS man had all his possessions stolen as he slept on Weymouth seafront. Liam Bulpitt says he has been left with nothing after the theft. He said: "I have no money, no identification, no bedding and no clothes. "I have had my phone stolen so I
A REPLACEMENT River Avon crossing is a bridge too far, say Sopley parish councillors. Dorset County Council wants to replace the rusting Avon Causeway Bridge before it collapses. Work on the six-month, £700,000 project is to start in July and will involve
BOURNEMOUTH mayor Emily Morrell-Cross threw her full support behind London's Olympic Bid on Saturday. The Back the Bid campaign bus arrived in Bournemouth Square to raise awareness of the benefits the region will reap if the London 2012 Olympic Bid is
A BEACH hut that measures just 10ft x 15ft has been put up for sale - at the staggering price of £165,000 The newly-built hut at the Mudeford spit has no parking and is powered by a single solar panel. The successful buyer will have to pay the council
IS 24-hour drinking any kind of answer to the binge-drinking phenomenon plaguing town centres at night up and down the country? No, according to Marty Farrow of Risks Contained. Personally, he would like to be able to pop out for a drink or order a coffee
A CAMPAIGN to save a Bournemouth landmark is ticking over slower than fund-raisers would have liked - so they are appealing to the public to organise events to boost it. Only £3,000 has so far been raised for the Lansdowne Clock Tower Appeal, which is
WINE is bottled poetry, said Robert Louis Stevenson. And it seems that we can't get enough of it. Britons are set to become Europe's biggest spenders on wine within four years. We got through just over £5 billion worth of wine in 2003. The figure is expected
A FATHER-OF-THREE says he fears for his family's safety after vandals threw lit petrol bombs at his car and in to his garden. Mark Langrish, 44, who lives on the Beaufort Estate in Southbourne, believes the damage, which happened in the early hours of
AT the age of 105 Ethel Baldwin has been told many times she ought to write a book. Ethel celebrated reaching her milestone birthday with friends and relatives at Anglebury Court in Wareham. The great-grandmother-of-eight spoke of a lifetime of ups and
SALVATION has come a step closer for Poole's historic "at risk" Guildhall building. The listed Georgian building in Market Street, which has been closed for some years, could be on its way to opening its doors to the public again. Councillors are keen
THATCHAM Town are not top of the league for no reason, as Brockenhurst found out when they went down 3-1 at Waterside Park, writes Andy Starmore. And one of the main reasons for the Berkshire outfit to have gone four points clear at the summit is the
VERWOOD Town boss Adie Arnold described his team's second-half performance as 'unacceptable' following their 6-0 drubbing at Fleetlands in Wessex League Division Three. "We gave a good account of ourselves in the first half and were only 2-0 down," said
CHRISTCHURCH suffered their 14th defeat of the season when they went down 2-1 at VT FC. Gary Meale gave the home side the lead after just 12 minutes before Priory started to dominate proceedings. They equalised just before half-time through substitute
WIMBORNE Town produced an outstanding display to eventually run out 4-1 winners at Andover in what manager Paul Arnold described as "our best performance of the season by far." A dominant Magpies outfit went for the jugular right from the beginning and
GIVE or take a minute or two, it was happy hour at Dean Court on Saturday as Cherries finally downed a much-needed double. (Feb 12) In a week when new licensing laws were in the headlines, Steve Fletcher served up the aperitif with his 28th-minute opener
ON PAPER Portland United can only be described as a football club in crisis. Third from bottom in the Sydenhams Wessex League, the Blues have won just one of their last 11 games and have failed to score a goal for nine hours. Personnel changes both on
DAVID Mason's hopes of holding a testimonial meeting this summer have been scuppered by British Speedway Promoters Association (BSPA). The Weymouth Wildcats skipper had booked a star-studded line-up for the Wessex Stadium in August to celebrate ten years
WARREN Byerley walked off with the man of the match bubbly after his first 90 minutes of Nationwide Conference South football since Dorchester's second game of the season and then promised: "The more I play, the better I will get." He was denied his second
POLICE chiefs in Ferndown are drawing up a package of measures in a bid to stamp out anti-social behaviour in the town centre. Officers are working with a number of agencies, including youth leaders, representatives from local schools and the district
SUPERSTAR Elton John will be heading for the South Coast this summer when he becomes the first act to play the Saints' St Mary's soccer stadium in Southampton this summer. The concert, on Saturday, May 28, is a major coup for Southampton Football Club
PROTESTERS gathered in Sturminster Newton to protest against the erection of a mobile phone mast. Locals say the mast was erected without sufficient public consultation. They're concerned the mast has been positioned in a heavily populated area and are
LEADING local businessman Arthur Griffiths, who founded the multi-million pound Purewell Electrical concern in Christchurch 50 years ago, has died following a short illness. He was 79. Originally from south Wales, Mr Griffiths came to Christchurch where
STEVE Fletcher is convinced Cherries got back to winning ways thanks in part to a "kick up the backside" from manager Sean O'Driscoll. Fletcher paved the way for Cherries' first League One double of the season by opening the scoring during Saturday's
