News Archive

Cllr. Spencer Flower, Leader of Dorset Council, has told KeeP 106 about the importance of Local Plans. “Local Plans are a key component of the planning system. They shape how land use and places will change and develop in the future. This is why I have been, and continue to be, in a dialogue with the ...

On Sunday 16th January a group of concerned Dorset constituents gathered outside the office of local MP Chris Loder, in Poundbury. They were there to express their collective concern that the proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill, currently under review in the House of Lords, if passed in it’s entirety,  would mean the end ...

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has told KeeP 106 it is delighted to announce the launch of its ‘Blossoming and Blooming’ Open Gardens initiative. ‘Blossoming and Blooming’ is the charity’s latest fundraising initiative, which asks people to show their support by opening their gardens to members of the public between June and September this year. The ...

A cyclist is recovering in hospital after coming off their bike following what is believed to be a medical episode. The cyclist was traveling towards Bockhampton when witnesses reported that he veered off the road landing in the verge. The casualty was lying unconscious on the side of the road whilst being cared for by members of ...

Public Health Dorset report that infection rates in Dorset have fallen steeply from a peak in early January. This is a similar picture to the national trend and case rates in Dorset are now below the average rates for England and the South West. Infection rates remain high and there are still thousands of people ...

Refurbishment of Dorset County Hospital’s Emergency Department is progressing well, with two new clinical areas now in use. The Trust received one-off funding from NHS England of £15million, as part of a drive to upgrade several Emergency Departments across the country. The scheme aims to enhance infection prevention and control measures and reduce the risk of ‘corridor ...

Cllr Laura Miller, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer and Community Services, provides an update on Redlands and the current discussions around the future of the on-site sports centre. “Last June, Weymouth College announced it is unable to continue funding all facilities at Redlands Community Sports Hub, which it leases from Dorset Council. While the outdoor facilities ...

People across the Dorset Council area that are in digital need can now apply for a free device and data. The council has been awarded £20,000 for its new Digital Doorway scheme, which will see it issue around 60 tablets and laptops with up to two years’ worth of data, to people who are currently digitally ...

Today (19 January) the Prime Minister announced the easing of ‘Plan B’ coronavirus measures. This includes: • Removing the requirement to work from home from 19 January • Removing the requirement for staff and pupils in secondary schools and colleges to wear a face covering in classrooms from 20 January • Removing the requirement to wear a face ...

The 17th January saw the launch of the ‘Dorset Deserves Better’ campaign which aims to change the Dorset Local Plan. In the Plan Dorset Council proposes to build over 39,000 new dwellings – plus roads, car parks & services – which, according to the campaign alliance, encroaches on the Green Belt and famous Areas of ...

The annual Christmas drink and drug drive campaign saw Dorset Police target those who drive while under the influence. In total, Dorset Police recorded 112 arrests during the December 2021 initiative – of which 84 were for drink driving, 30 for driving under the influence of drugs, and one for failing to provide a sample for ...

Following a stabbing on Saturday afternoon which led to the victim being taken to hospital, Weymouth & Portland Neighbourhood Policing Team have updated the information. At around 1:45 pm on 15th January 2022 Dorset Police was alerted to the report of a stabbing on Weymouth Beach. The victim, a female in her 30s who was visiting ...

The A35 between Dorchester and Bridport was blocked on Sunday from 16:10 after a two vehicle collision. Fire crews from Dorchester, Bridport Fire Station and Crew Maiden Newton responded to incident which happened near Kingston Russell. A statement from the fire service said: “Once in attendance the crews found there had been a collision between two cars ...

Public Health Dorset report that in line with the national picture, infection rates have started to fall slightly across Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Infections remain at very high levels, meaning your chances of catching COVID-19 remain high and we urge everyone to continue to exercise caution by following the public health measures. The number ...

A Weymouth bar has had its licence revoked following an application by Dorset Police. The licence for Actors Bar & Club on Maiden Street was revoked following a decision made by Dorset Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee at a meeting on Wednesday 12 January 2022. The premises’ licence had previously been suspended following an earlier hearing by the committee ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward following a serious injury collision in Dorchester. Dorset Police received a report at 12.13pm on Wednesday 12 January 2022 of a collision involving a white Mercedes van, a red Toyota Aygo and a black Peugeot 208 on the A35 near to the Stinsford ...

In July 2021, Weldmar Hospicecare announced that their overseas challenge would be to the Sahara Desert in November 2022. The response to the trek has been phenomenal, and Weldmar have now reached maximum numbers. Keen to not disappoint those that just missed out on a place on the November 2022 challenge, or those that we’re considering ...

Dorchester’s Brewery Square and its retailers took part in a number of events throughout 2021, raising a total of £4,541.26 for various local charities. Through live music performances, raffles and more from Brewery Square’s busy events calendar, collections took place over the course of the year to help those in need. Charlotte Spracklen, Centre Manager at Brewery ...

Officers are appealing for anyone with information to come forward following a fail-to-stop collision near Dorchester. It is reported that at around 1.10pm on Tuesday 21 December 2021 a collision occurred involving a silver Mercedes, which was stationary, and a silver or grey Mini Clubman in the car park outside Parkhouse Pet Supplies on the Marabout ...

Dorset Coast Forum are holding a Flood Awareness drop-in event for the residents of Melcombe Regis to discuss flooding issues in the area. The event will be held at The Park Community Centre, Chelmsford Street, Weymouth, DT4 7HR. Interested persons can drop-in anytime between 4-6pm. The project is a part of the project ‘Building Resilience in ...

The latest Covid-19 update from Public Health Dorset shows that case rates have continued to rise quickly over the past week across Dorset, and remain higher than at any other point during the pandemic. Infection rates are very high across the country. In Dorset we have started to see hospitalisations related to COVID-19 rise, up to ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service as part of the Fire Kills campaign is asking people to make sure they fit smoke alarms on every level of their home and to test them regularly. Many people see January as an opportunity for a fresh start, and fire safety should be top of the list. So, ...

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is delighted to announce that online registration for this year’s Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge will open at 10.00am on Tuesday 11th January 2022. The charity’s ever-popular Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge takes place on Sunday 15th May 2022 and supporters wishing to take part, will have to be quick, as ...

Parents and carers whose children will be starting primary, infant, junior or middle school for the first time this September, have just a few days left to apply for a place at their chosen school. If you haven’t already done so, you need to apply by 15 January 2022 to have the best chance of securing ...

The Coroner for Dorset is seeking the assistance of the public to find the next of kin of a man who lived in Dorchester. Alan Beau Barlow, who was 55 years old, died at his home address in North Square on Wednesday 29 December 2021. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Senior Coroner’s Officer Ian Parry ...

Dorchester and Dorset councillor and retired police officer Les Fry has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Years Honours List. The award recognises Mr Fry’s voluntary service to the community in Dorchester and West Dorset. Whilst humbled by the award, Les says it’s nice to be recognised, although he doesn’t expect this ...

Weymouth RNLI Inshore lifeboat was tasked by Solent Coastguard at 10.20am on Monday 3rd January 2022 to go to Portland Harbour where there had been reports of a kite surfer in difficulties. Arriving on scene shortly after, the volunteer crew found that a kite surfer had become separated from her kite. Both surfer and kite were ...

A host of great ideas have been put forward by staff at Dorset HealthCare to improve local services – and your help is needed to choose the best ones. The Trust has re-opened its Dragons’ Den staff innovation competition, with £10,000 up for grabs to support proposals for the benefit of patients, carers and/or staff. Some fantastic ...

COVID-19 cases have risen sharply across the SW region and we are seeing this in both Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council areas and Dorset Council areas. Hospitalisations have remained fairly stable but Public Health Dorset continue to monitor the trend as there can be a delay between rising cases and the impact on hospitalisations. Find ...

Dorset Council are planning to make improvements to bus services and has submitted its Bus Service Improvement Plan and bid for Government’s Bus Back Better £3 billion fund. The plan requires around £92m of funding over an initial three-year period to deliver the council’s ambitious vision to transform bus services across Dorset. The next step is ...

Recently published figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) show that Dorset Council’s recycling rate hit a record high last year. But modest officers have been quick to point out that the pandemic had a large part to do with the increase this time around. For the 2020/21 fiscal year, the latest DEFRA ...

On Boxing Day at 4:22pm the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat was requested by Solent Coastguard to attend a suspected incident at Durdle Door. It had been reported that a person was trying to jump into the water. Seven minutes later, as the light was fading, the request was made for the All-weather lifeboat to join the Inshore ...

Fans of George Michael, Tina Turner, the Bee Gees and more are set to enjoy again Music By The Lake following Weldmar Hospicecare’s announcement that the popular event is due to return in 2022, all at a new, larger, venue. Dorset County Showground is the new home for the weekend long, live music extravaganza, which takes ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage to come forward following a fatal collision in Weymouth. The collision occurred at around 11.29am on Friday 24 December 2021 on the A354 Weymouth Way and involved a silver Mitsubishi 4×4 and a cyclist. Very sadly, the cyclist – a local man aged in his 50s – ...

Public Health Dorset report that case rates have risen sharply in England over the past week and we are now starting to see this in our local data as cases have risen in both Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council areas. More info in our weekly update. Changes to self-isolation The guidance on self-isolation for ...

News from the North Pole! Santa Claus is officially covid secure. According to the Lancashire Hotpots Santa’s suit has been pressed, the sleigh’s looking pretty and he’s got the go ahead from Professor Chris Whitty. Among the many responses to this excellent news was this from Adrian: “I first heard this song for the first time on ...

National Highways will start a scheme next month to ease flooding issues and improve safety for motorists in Dorset. Following a recently completed drainage scheme at the Monkey’s Jump roundabout near Dorchester, the company will be start working on 4 January to improve drainage at the Max Gate junction further along the A35. Improvements at the Monkey’s ...

David Collins, along with his wife Debbie, mother Sylvia and pet dog Ozzy, called at Weymouth RNLI lifeboat station on Tuesday 21st December to hand over a cheque for £873 to Weymouth RNLI Coxswain Andy Sargent. David, who is the skipper/owner of dive boat Waverider and runs Jurassic Aqua Sports from Lynch Lane Weymouth, organised a ...

Dorset Council remind us a health walk is a free, short and regular guided walk that lasts between ten to ninety minutes for people of all abilities. They are the perfect way to get more active and to meet new people. With so many beautiful parks, green spaces, towns and villages waiting to be explored ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward following an alleged theft and subsequent assault near Dorchester. It is reported that some time between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Monday 13 December 2021 a laptop and handbag were stolen from a car parked on Bull Lane in Maiden Newton. After discovering the reported theft, at around 7.30pm the ...

Public Health Dorset have seen a small drop in Covid-19 case rates in Dorset over the past week, but infection levels remain high and it can be seen that nationally cases are now rising rapidly due to the spread of the Omicron variant. We expect to see cases rise in Dorset over the next few ...

Dorset’s Police & Crime Commissioner is asking members of the public for their views on paying an extra 83p per month. If approved, the figure would see those living in a Band D property paying an additional £10 a year for policing the county. Each police force is funded in the same way, a combination of ...

A bar in Weymouth has been ordered to temporarily close its doors after a Dorset Police investigation discovered allegations of criminality and safety issues for customers. Actors Bar & Club on Maiden Street was issued with the closure notice by Dorset Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee following a licensing hearing on Friday 17 December 2021. The order states ...

This Christmas will see a dozen rough sleepers safe from the cold and danger of sleeping on our local streets thanks to a joint housing initiative between The Bus Shelter Dorset and Dorset Council, together with generous support from the community. The project, which opened its doors to its first temporary residents on 16 September, provides ...

New analysis has found that Dorchester is the second easiest place to pass your driving test, in the UK, with Yeovil coming first. The study by A-Plan Insurance examined the pass rate percentage of major driving test centres in the UK – those that have conducted at least 1,000 tests since April 2020 – to determine ...

A man is due to appear in court in connection with a fatal road traffic collision in Wool. Dorset Police was called at 5.35pm on Sunday 5 July 2020 to a report of a collision on the A352 between the Woolbridge Roundabout and Wool train station. The collision involved a black Land Rover Defender towing a ...

Schools across Weymouth and Portland are bringing seasonal cheer to older residents across the area with a video of Christmas readings from their students. Fourteen schools have contributed to the video which has been put together by Dorset council so it can be shared with older residents who live in nursing and residential homes. Anna Knight, chair ...

Shire Hall Museum has received a grant of £167,500 from the Government’s latest round of the Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover from the impact of the Covid pandemic. A Grade I listed building, Shire Hall served as Dorset’s courthouse from 1797 until 1955. Now an award-winning social justice museum in the heart of ...

A man is due to appear in court in connection with the alleged racially aggravated abuse of a football player at a match in Bridport. The incident occurred during the second half of a match between the reserve teams for Bridport FC and Gillingham Town FC at St Mary’s Field in Skilling Road on Saturday 9 ...

Weymouth & Portland Rugby Club’s Tribute Dorset & Wilts Division 1 South fixture at home against visitors East Dorset Dockers on Saturday has been postponed as the Dockers have been struck down by the dreaded Covid-19 and the game will now be re-scheduled in the new year. The Seahorses sit currently in third place in the ...

South Western Railway (SWR) is asking customers to plan ahead over the Christmas and New Year period due to scheduled engineering work taking place across the SWR network. Several separate sets of engineering work will affect journeys through Woking, Vauxhall, Earlsfield, Southampton, Guildford and Ascot with rail replacement buses in operation on routes where the line ...

Relatives play a valued role in helping loved ones to leave hospital as the NHS and social care enters a difficult Winter, say local clinicians. Local clinicians are appealing to relatives who can play a key part in helping loved ones to leave hospital, as the NHS and social care enters an extremely difficult Winter. The support ...

The Dorset health and care system is pulling out all the stops to expand the vaccination programme as quickly as possible following the Prime Minister’s announcement late Sunday. And system leaders are asking local people to be patient while they get everything in place as the NHS continues to deliver the largest vaccination programme in our ...

On 9 December 2021 at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court, James Goodwin, 32, of Weymouth, was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work for selling counterfeit clothing. Mr.Goodwin had pleaded guilty to the six specimen offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994 at an earlier hearing. Costs were also awarded to the council of £1,689 and a ...

COVID-19 infection rates have continued to increase over the past week in the Dorset Council area and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council area. This follows an upward trend across the South West region and England, but both council areas remain above the regional and national averages. The number of people in hospital in Dorset with ...

Dorset Council is reminding all residents that their bin collections will be on their usual day of the week over the Christmas and New Year period, even on bank holidays. With Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day falling on the weekend this year, rubbish and recycling collections over the festive period will not be ...

A woman who stole money over a period of five years from a vulnerable elderly North Dorset woman she was caring for has been jailed. Paula Wareham, 60 and of Hope Close in Crossways, Dorchester, was sentenced to 16 months in prison following a hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court on Thursday 9 December 2021. She had ...

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) came out winners in three categories at this year’s National Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence which were held virtually on Friday 4th December. The life-saving charity was shortlisted as a finalist in five categories, highlighting the broad scope and high standard of the service they provide and the incredible ...

South West Action on Pensions (SWAP) are calling on Brunel Pension Partnership and the 10 authorities they work for, including Dorset Council, to stop using their pension funds to invest in fossil fuels and start using the money to invest in climate-friendly pensions. SWAP want to see 100% divestment in fossil fuel companies, equities, bonds and ...

The Friends of the Piddle Inn have told KeeP 106 that a pop-up pub they organised has been a success. The Community Benefit Society used the event to launch their campaign to buy the local pub, The Piddle Inn. The pop-up pub, that was held in the village’s memorial hall on Saturday 27 November, was well ...