A LOCAL pensioner is fuming after Bournemouth borough council blocked off seven disabled parking bays in the heart of the town centre. Pete Woodley, 70, has heart problems and can't walk more than a few metres without getting breathless. He regularly
INCIDENTS of children misbehaving and vandalising buses to and from school have been cut by half, say transport and education chiefs in Bournemouth. They cite the introduction of new photo bus passes as one of the reasons behind the dramatic fall in pupils
SPEED camera chiefs have defended their decision to operate mobile cameras on a road already dotted with fixed cameras. The A338 Spur Road in Bournemouth is once again on Dorset Safety Camera Partnership's mobile camera location list from May 7 until
A TOTAL of 14 radio stations are fighting it out for the brand-new Solent commercial radio licence - with nearly all of them targeting the middle-aged. The deadline to enter the bidding race passed on Thursday May 5 and Ofcom has now confirmed the full
SPEED camera chiefs have defended their decision to operate mobile cameras on a road already dotted with fixed cameras. The A338 Spur Road in Bournemouth is once again on Dorset Safety Camera Partnership's mobile camera location list from May 7 until
A TOTAL of 14 radio stations are fighting it out for the brand-new Solent commercial radio licence - with nearly all of them targeting the middle-aged. The deadline to enter the bidding race passed on Thursday May 5 and Ofcom has now confirmed the full
WOMEN of all ages and fitness levels will be donning their trainers on May 8 as they take part in this year's Poole Race for Life. It is the second year the event has been held in Poole Park and organisers are hoping the 1,600 participants will top the
A CONSERVATIVE MP says he will try to get Michael Howard to change his mind about quitting as party leader. Mr Howard told a rally in Putney that, at the age of 66 or 67, he would be too old to lead a party into government at the next election. "So as
KIWI cricketer Paul Rugg will make his debut for Dorchester Cricket Club at Sherborne today - providing he can borrow some whites. Rugg, who has appeared for Canterbury's first class side in New Zealand, hadn't originally intended playing any cricket
VETERAN pop jokers The Barron Knights bring their new show Bop 'til We Drop to Bournemouth's Pier Theatre on May 7. The concert is the first of a series of one-night specials planned at the theatre over the next few months to complement this summer's
BLUE is still the colour of local politics in Dorset. Voters have returned the Conservatives to power at County Hall. Tory candidates were elected in 24 of the 45 wards to remain in outright control of Dorset County Council. The Conservatives fought off
A FIRE engine on an emergency call was involved in a three-vehicle smash which brought traffic chaos to Weymouth. The incident blocked Preston Road, caused widespread diversions and forced other firefighters to answer the call to Osmington. An air ambulance
MOVIE moguls shooting a Hollywood blockbuster about a former Weymouth drug addict want Echo readers to play street scene film extras. Stephen Smith, now a successful businessman in Germany, slept rough in a skip at Littlemoor for four months during 20
A VILLAGE is in danger of becoming an island surrounded by gravel pits, it was claimed today. Anne Harding fears for the future of Crossways after two stone firms revealed plans to start extracting later this year. Woodsford Farm hopes to dig up minerals
New organiser's high hopes for oyster fest A businessman has outlined his plans for the Weymouth's oyster festival later this month. Peter Ledger, owner of the Crow's Nest restaurant in Hope Square, has taken on the organisation of the festival after
GARRETH O'Connor scooped the Micky Cave Daily Echo Player of the Year award and then dedicated it to his girlfriend's late grandfather. The Cherries midfielder has been a vital component of Sean O'Driscoll's side as they have taken the quest for a play-off
JUBILANT Conservatives gained sweet revenge for their party's general election defeat by retaining outright control of Dorset County Council. The Tories won 24 of the 45 seats up for grabs, with a majority of three over all the other parties. There will
ENGLISH Schools national multi-eventer, Serita Shone began her outdoor campaign at Millfield School in fine style. Representing Weymouth St Paul's Harriers and AC in the Dorset County AA Combined Events Championship and the Dorchester Thomas Hardye School
DAN Giffard will not be competing in the World Under-21 Qualifying rounds. The Wildcats star has been overlooked despite finishing fifth in the British final at Rye House last weekend. The top four from that event automatically qualify with British Under
THREE primary school children have given up their birthday presents to raise money for the tsunami appeal. Alexander Schooling and Fraser Barnes, both aged seven, and Eloise Barnes, five, are all from Thornlow School in Weymouth. They wanted to help children
IT'S VE Day on May 8. Sixty years since the end of the Second World War, six decades of peace and, for the most part, increasing prosperity for us all. I'll be taking my kids to a local village to watch a parade and to try to drum home, yet again, just
HOLLYWOOD hero Johnny Depp could be about to shoot a new movie in Bournemouth. Depp, 41, whose recent roles include Peter Pan playwright JM Barrie in Finding Neverland and lovable rogue Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, will be back on screen
THE family of a missing 24-year-old Bournemouth man has appealed for him or anyone who has seen him to get in touch amid growing concern. Ryan Carney has not been seen since about 12 noon on Thursday May 5, when he left work to buy a birthday card for
Christchurch divisions: Burton Grange Fox-Hodges, Betty Liberal Democrat 1,651 Elected Jones, David Conservative 1549 Hill, Vera Labour 910 Christchurch Central Duckworth, Michael Conservative 2,038 Hall, Peter Liberal Democrat 2,331Elected Jacques, Martin
A BELLRINGER is home after cycling from Land's End to John o'Groats - and breaking his wrist half-way. Veteran campanologist Tim Collins of Bradford Peverell rang 14 sets of church bells during the ride, despite coming a cropper near Carlisle and having
YOUNG news hounds let their imagination run riot when they penned fictional news-paper articles about their teacher. Year 6 tutor Jessica King set a competition for pupils at Conifers Primary School in Weymouth to devise their own endings to a scenario
