News Archive

Officers investigating a serious injury collision in Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward. Dorset Police received a report at 5.10pm on Tuesday 26 April 2022 of a collision involving a silver Vauxhall Meriva and a red Land Rover on the A37 Dorchester bypass near to Monkeys Jump roundabout. The ...

A star object from the Victoria and Albert Museums collection is due to go on display in a new exhibition being held at Dorset Museum. Hardy’s Wessex – The Landscapes which Inspired a Writer, running from 28th May 2022 until 30th October 2022, is a partnership exhibition which spans Dorset, Poole, Salisbury and Wiltshire museums. It ...

Public Health Dorset have recently updated the way they report the latest local COVID-19 situation on their dashboard. Data from the ONS infection survey is now used which estimates the number of people currently testing positive. The survey shows that the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus in England has decreased, with an estimate of ...

Local MP, Richard Drax, has voiced his support for a new children’s home in Weymouth during a visit to the Harbour children’s residential hub at Dorchester Road. The Harbour is based on an approach used in North Yorkshire which brings different professionals together in one place to work with young people on the edge of care, ...

Officers have arrested a man following a report of theft from a jewellery store in Dorchester. At around 2.45pm on Wednesday 19 January 2022 it is alleged that two men entered Dorchester Jewellers at Cornhill and stole a nine-carat 18-inch yellow gold curb chain valued at £1,200. Following a CCTV appeal, a man aged in his 30s ...

Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has opened a new Outpatient Therapies Centre in Charlton Down. The centre, on Sherren Avenue, hosts a variety of physiotherapy services, including musculoskeletal, respiratory and pelvic health, as well as speech and language therapy. Over the last two years, teams have been operating from their Weymouth base as well as temporary locations in ...

On April 16th the Pavilion in the Park, which opened in the middle of lockdown a year ago, celebrated its first birthday and organisers can’t believe either how quickly the year has gone or how many lovely things have happened there during that time. They have put together a photo video reminder, do take a ...

Earth Day is fast approaching! Dorchester will be marking the day on the on the 23rd April 12noon – 4pm on the Great Field, Poundbury. Earth Day is a global cause, where around the world, including in Dorchester, people will be celebrating those who are making a difference – questioning current ways and finding solutions ...

Music lovers won’t want to miss The Occasional Singers Baroque Masterworks concert at St. Mary’s Church in Dorchester, on Saturday 30th April. Entrance is FREE and there will be a retiring collection for Alzheimer’s Research UK. The concert will begin at 7.30 pm. The Occasional Singers present a concert of short Baroque masterworks for voices, oboe ...

Firefighters have managed to save a property in Dorset following a garage fire at the address. Firefighters were called to the address at 7.15am on the 17th April 2022. On arrival crews found a garage well alight. They used three hose reels, two main lines and eight sets of breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire which ...

Officers investigating the theft of items from a supermarket in Dorchester are issuing a CCTV image of the suspect in a bid to identify her. At around 11.30am on Thursday 3 February 2022 a woman entered Waitrose in the Tudor Arcade and placed a quantity of alcohol and household items into a trolley. The woman reportedly made ...

An unauthorised gathering of people in the East Lulworth area has been dispersed. The incident was first reported to police at 12.36am on Sunday 17 April 2022. It was believed that about 1000 people were attending the event with a large number of vehicles seen travelling through the area. Throughout the night and day police supported by ...

With spring on the way, Dorset Council’s annual road investment programme is hotting up! Proactive road maintenance activity intensifies in the spring due to many road treatments needing dry and/or warm weather. In Dorset, this work then moves away from busy tourist areas before the start of the summer season. This financial year, the Department for Transport ...

Dorset Council is delighted to share that we have a workable plan to keep Redlands Community Sports Hub in Weymouth open – which includes all the buildings. Cllr Laura Miller, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer and Community Services, said: “The easiest option would have been for Dorset Council to allow the buildings at Redlands to be ...

This March-April time has seen Dorset residents come together to take part in local litter picking and beach cleaning activities, helping to spruce up our streets, green spaces and beaches prior to the summer season. Litter Free Dorset – Land, Coast and Sea’s annual Great Dorset Beach Clean took place between 2nd-10th April with 14 beach ...

Local chap Ben Sloyan, a member of Casterbridge Speakers, has won the International Speech Contest at Divisional level on April 2nd, beating speakers from across the south of England. Following his success Ben will now compete at National finals in May in the International Speech competition, and then hopefully the World Championships. This on-line contest, which ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward following a fatal collision in Bridport. Dorset Police was called at 5.22am on Tuesday 12 April 2022 to reports of a serious injury road traffic collision on the A35 near to the Miles Cross junction involving a HGV lorry, white Mercedes Sprinter van ...

Last night (Monday 11th April 2022) at approximately 7.45PM, a fire crew from Dorchester and a crew from Beaminster were called to reports of a property fire in the Warmwell/Crossways area. Due to the size and nature of the fire, the crews on scene requested further assistance from an additional crew. Firefighters extinguished the fire using ...

The Jack and Phyl Cleare was gifted to RNLI Weymouth with a legacy from Phyl Cleare and is the sixth lifeboat to have been donated by the couple. The first was a relief boat in 1990 followed by three more for Swanage and this second one for Weymouth. Chrissie Payne, Chair of the Lifeboat Management Group, ...

Dorset Museum had a busy day on Thursday 7th April 2022 with award wins in both the South West Tourism Awards and the Dorchester and Poundbury Business Awards. After their Silver Award in the Dorset Tourism Awards, Dorset Museum has received the Bronze Award in the ‘Large Visitor Attraction of the Year’ category at the South ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has joined forces with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) to support the first national Biker Down safety campaign, which runs between 11-17 April. Biker Down is a free three-hour course that provides practical and potentially lifesaving advice. It gives riders an awareness of what to do if they ...

A former Dorset Police officer has been found guilty of gross misconduct after he was jailed for a fraud offence. A misconduct hearing was held at Dorset Police Headquarters in Winfrith on Monday 11 April 2022 to consider the allegations against former Police Constable Matthew Littlefair, who was sentenced on Wednesday 3 November 2021 to two ...

With the Easter Bank Holiday on the horizon, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution is encouraging customers in Dorset to ‘think before they dig’, if they’re working in the garden or on outdoor DIY projects. As springtime and the first Bank holiday weekend of the year is traditionally a busier time for people working on ...

Newly installed solar panels at two of Dorset Council’s waste depots are already producing over 200,000 kWh of renewable energy each year and providing most of each building’s power needs. As part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) which saw the Council awarded £19m of central government funding by Salix to make publicly owned buildings ...

The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list, South-West, published on 8th April, shows Bridport as being number two just behind the winner, Chalke Valley in Wiltshire, with Sherborne placed  seventh. The Sunday Times’s expert judges behind the guide assess a wide range of factors, from schools, transport and broadband to culture, green spaces and the ...

The Coroner for Dorset is seeking the assistance of the public to find the next of kin of a man who lived in Dorchester. Graham Ferguson, who was 83 years old, died at his home address in Maen Gardens on Monday 4 April 2022. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Coroner’s Officer Ken McEwan said: “We ...

As part of the council’s proposals for redevelopment of the former Weymouth Bowl site in St Nicholas St, an archaeological dig is due to take place later this month. Dorset Council acquired the leasehold interest in the former Weymouth Bowl site in January this year and has commissioned archaeology specialists Context One Heritage & Archaeology, to ...

‘Help: Your Health, Your Community’ is the title of an event coming to Dorchester’s Corn Exchange on 4th May 2022. The event is a day of workshops and talks to stimulate discussion on social prescribing in Dorchester for both professionals and self-help groups and is completely free to attend, being sponsored by the Fine Foundation. One ...

Officers investigating an alleged assault in Dorchester have made an arrest. Dorset Police received a report at 8.22pm on Thursday 17 March 2022 relating to a group of around 10 young people involved in anti-social behaviour in the area of Pummery Square in Poundbury. It was reported that they were smashing bottles and throwing stones at ...

Officers continuing to investigate a road traffic collision near Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Dorset Police received a report shortly after 6am on Sunday 20 March 2022 that a black Renault Clio that was believed to have been involved in a single vehicle collision had been found unoccupied partially ...

Officers searching for a man who had gone missing in Weymouth have very sadly found a body. Sean Bower, 26, had been reported missing on Friday 1 April 2022. During the morning of Saturday 2 April 2022, the body of a man was discovered in Springfield Crescent Cemetery. While formal identification is yet to take place, Sean’s next ...

Campaigners against a new oil well near Puddletown in Dorset have told KeeP 106 that they are celebrating after the applicant withdrew their application. The site just north of Athelhampton had been proposed by South Western Energy Ltd for 20 years of oil production which, according to objectors, would have released millions of tonnes of carbon ...

Public Health Dorset report that confirmed cases of COVID-19 remain very high across Dorset. We’ve also seen the number of people with COVID-19 in hospitals continue to rise up to 254 from 182. The public are asked to continue to take steps to reduce the spread of the virus, including self-isolating if you develop covid symptoms ...

The Governors of Bryanston have confirmed the appointment of Richard Jones as the new Head of the School following a rigorous selection process and with immediate effect. He becomes the ninth Head of the Dorset school which is renowned for its success in creative thinking and providing an inspirational environment for developing the confidence, strength ...

Dorset Council and Dorset County Hospital have agreed a 20-year lease for use of South Walks House building in Dorchester, owned by the council. Dorset County Hospital will use South Walks House for a combination of clinical and office purposes, providing a central and easily accessible location and enabling the hospital to maximise the use of ...

Campaigners opposed to plans to build 4,000 houses on green fields north of Dorchester are organising a protest march through the town centre on Saturday, April 2nd. And to highlight the threat to the town’s cultural legacy, they are recreating one of Thomas Hardy’s most memorable scenes – the Skimmity Ride from The Mayor of Casterbridge. ...

Officers investigating an assault in Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Dorset Police received a report at 8.22pm on Thursday 17 March 2022 relating to a group of around 10 young people involved in anti-social behaviour in the area of Pummery Square in Poundbury. It was reported that they were ...

Officers searching for a man who went missing in Dorchester are pleased to confirm he has been found safe and well. Peter Bush was last seen at around 1pm on Monday 28 March 2022 in the town. Following enquiries and searches by officers, Peter was located. We would like to thank everyone who shared our appeal and ...

Earth Day is a positive event celebrating what is already being done to help the environment and looking at what we can do next! Join us on the 23rd of April, 12noon – 4pm at The Great Field, Poundbury. The event will be during the school Easter holidays and is a perfect for families looking ...

Fire crews from across our area have been dealing with a fire in a holiday park this morning (28th March 2022). Two crews from Dorchester and two from Weymouth were in attendance and used 3 main jets, 2 hose reel jets and a light portable pump to extinguish the fire, which was at the Warmwell Holiday ...

Dorset Council is working closely with local voluntary and community organisations to ensure refugees arriving from Ukraine will be warmly welcomed and receive the support they need. The Dorset Together network, which includes the council, NHS, Public Health Dorset, the emergency services, faith groups, Volunteer Centre Dorset, Dorset Race Equality Council, Help And Kindness, and other ...

Do you want to close a road for a street party? Dorset Council is currently welcoming applications to close roads for street parties to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The council is trying to make it as easy as possible to support communities getting together safely but, if you wish to close a road or ...

The latest update from Public Health Dorset confirms that case rates have continued to rise over the past week – Dorset and the wider South West region are significantly above the England average. Please continue to take steps to reduce the spread of the virus, including self-isolating if you develop Covid symptoms or test positive, washing ...

From Monday 28 March, Dorset Council will be rolling out new car park charges in council-owned car parks across the county. The parking transformation project started in 2020 to develop a more consistent approach to car parking charges across the Dorset Council area. This included a review of on-street car parking charges, council car park prices ...

A new Education Board is being set up in Dorset, and the council is delighted to announce that Stephen Twigg will be taking the helm. Continuing and intensifying the strength of the great partnership working established throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the board will focus on delivering opportunities and tackling the challenges of the education system in ...

Kelly Relph, the owner of Hobs Hair & Nail Bar, has raised £500 for Weldmar Hospice Care and at the same time made a very special donation that will make some Little Princes or Princesses up and down the land feel special again. After 20 years of growing her hair to well down below her waist ...

Safety improvements continue to be rolled out across the A35 following pressure from West Dorset MP Chris Loder, whose A35 Taskforce led the way for a comprehensive overhaul of road safety on West Dorset’s primary trunk road given the high rate of accidents on the road. Monkey’s Jump Roundabout is due for the final programme of ...

Pupils at Bryanston School have raised a staggering £55,100 for two charities and for a special humanitarian mission for Ukraine that has also benefitted from the direct involvement of the wider Blandford community. The annual Charities Weekend was organised by the school’s Head Girl, Esme Thomas, and Head Boy, Spencer Davies, in support of their chosen ...

Dorset Council’s Waste Enforcement and Legal teams scored another victory in court this week, as a rogue trader from Weymouth was prosecuted for transporting and disposing of commercial waste at a Household Recycling Centre (HRC, or “the tip”), as well as failing to provide correct paperwork. On Tuesday 22 March at Weymouth Magistrates Court, Mr Nigel ...

Officers are continuing to investigate a serious injury road traffic collision in Lytchett Matravers – with one man arrested. Dorset Police received a report at 4.08pm on Monday 21 March 2022 of a collision in Wareham Road involving a bus and a pedestrian. Officers attended, along with the ambulance service, and the pedestrian – a 15-year-old local ...

The Litter Free Dorset Challenge is back and bigger than ever! Litter Free Dorset have teamed up with the Preventing Plastic Pollution project to provide 250 budding Dorset litter heroes with litter picking equipment. In return for taking part in a litter picking challenge this May, participants will be able to keep hold of the ...

Dorset Council want people to suggest locally important buildings, sites, monuments, and features for the Local Heritage List. The aim is to make it easy for everyone to nominate and access fascinating information about where they live. This is a joint project between Dorset Council and BCP Council using a grant of £70,000, from the Department for ...

A total of 18 people have been arrested in Dorset as part of a regional operation aimed at disrupting the activities of suspected drugs networks operating in the county. Dorset Police joined forces with colleagues in the South West – Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire – to take part in the crackdown ...

Public Health Dorset report that COVID-19 cases across Dorset are now rising quickly again. The data only includes cases confirmed by PCR and reported positive lateral flow tests, and with fewer people now testing, it’s likely that the true figures are higher. Prevalence in the community is very high and there is an increased risk ...

Officers investigating a fail-to-stop collision near Bridport are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward. Dorset Police received a report at 5.05pm on Thursday 17 March 2022 of a collision involving a car and a Lexmoto Hawk motorbike on Mutton Street in Marshwood. The car – described as possibly a blue Mini – ...

West Dorset MP Chris Loder has urged West Dorset residents, especially around the Cerne and Piddle valleys to attend and engage in the Boundary Commission’s upcoming hearing at the Corn Exchange in Dorchester on Thursday 31st March and Friday 1st April. The Boundary Commission for England is proposing that the villages of Sydling St Nicholas, Godmanstone, ...

Officers investigating an assault in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. It was reported that at around 3.50pm on Sunday 6 March 2022 the victim, a man aged in his 40s, was leaving Boots in St Thomas Street when he saw a man who was known to him sitting on ...

The Dorset County Show returns on the 3rd & 4th of September, after a two-year break due to the coronavirus pandemic. The show will be held at its usual location at the Dorchester Showground in Cokers Frome. For more than 180 years, the Dorchester Agricultural Society has arranged the county show and is preparing to welcome ...

Detectives investigating a reported assault at a Weymouth barber shop are urging any witnesses to the incident to come forward. At around 10am on Friday 11 March 2022 it is reported an altercation took place between a group of men inside Weymouth Barbers in St Mary Street opposite Marks and Spencer. During the incident it is ...

Public Health Dorset report that after a sustained fall in case rates across Dorset over the past few weeks, infection rates have started to increase. Cases have been rising across all age groups. However with fewer people testing these numbers are unlikely to provide the complete picture. The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 ...