News Archive

Detectives investigating a sexual assault in Weymouth are looking to trace possible witnesses who may have vital information. The incident occurred at around 6.30am on Sunday 16 May 2021. The victim, a woman aged in her 40s, was walking along a footpath off Weymouth Bay Avenue that runs between Lodmoor Country Park and the RSPB Lodmoor ...

Highways England is advising drivers that the A35 westbound (towards Dorchester) between the A31 at Bere Regis and the A35 at Stinsford roundabout, will remain closed on Monday due a large surface defect. Drivers heading westbound on the A35 are being diverted via Bere Regis Roundabout at the A31, south to Wool, before taking the A352 ...

Dorchester Neighbourhood Officers made targeted patrols this Friday evening across Dorchester. Officers concentrated on areas highlighted by the public as having issues with Anti-Social Behaviour, including under age drinking, littering and rowdy abusive behaviour. A spokesperson said: “We had positive interaction with numerous groups enjoying their evenings. We also had to remove alcohol from young people within ...

Both Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council areas have seen a small decrease in case rates this week, remaining at low levels. In turn, the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 continues to be very low (currently at two people), and we have seen zero deaths within 28 days of a positive ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward following a fail-to-stop road traffic collision in Weymouth. At around 3pm on Saturday 8 May 2021 a collision occurred on Dorchester Road, near to the junction with Lorton Lane, involving a white Volvo single decker bus and a horse. It is reported that the ...

As of Friday 14th May the A35 westbound carriageway between Bere Regis and Stinsford remains closed to allow for investigations into the exact cause and scale of the sink hole which appeared near the Troytown junction on Tuesday. The official diversion is from Bere Regis to Wool and on via the A352 through Wool and Broadmayne, ...

Local law firm, Humphries Kirk, have told KeeP 106 about a forthcoming running event called Run Bournemouth organised by Run for Life Education, Wessex & Thames Valley, taking place on 9th & 10th October to raise vital funds in support of children’s health and emotional wellbeing. Those interested in taking part can choose a race to ...

The arrival of the first cygnets at Abbotsbury Swannery is a major event in its calendar. The cute tiny cygnets are a draw for many tourists visiting the South West of the UK. Unfortunately the other major event, the biennial roundup of around 700 to 800 swans, cannot be held this year because of Covid-19. The roundup ...

Castletown D-Day Centre in Portland opens for the summer on Wednesday 19th May with staff and volunteers looking forward to a busy season ahead at the award-winning visitor attraction. The Centre delivers an immersive experience, offering young and old a unique chance to discover the important role played by the Port of Portland during the allied ...

Detectives investigating a report of a shooting incident near Dorchester involving a BB gun have made an arrest. Dorset Police was called at 9pm on Sunday 9 May 2021 by the ambulance service to a report that a man had been shot with a BB gun at an address on Long Ash Lane near to Wardon ...

Officers investigating a road traffic collision in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward. The collision occurred at around 5pm on Sunday 2 May 2021 near to the Jurassic Roundabout on the A354. It involved a black Harley Davidson motorcycle, which was reportedly taking evasive to action to avoid ...

Detectives are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward after a report of a shooting incident near Dorchester. Dorset Police was called at 9pm on Sunday 9 May 2021 by the ambulance service to a report that a man had been shot with a BB gun at an address on Long Ash Lane ...

Mental Health Awareness Week Mental Health Awareness Week begins on Monday 10 May and is hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, the theme for this year is nature. The aim for the week is to inspire more people to notice and connect with nature in new ways. Stop to listen to the birds, smell the freshly cut ...

As of 7th May Public Health Dorset reports that case rates across the Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole areas remain stable again this week. The rates for both areas are similar to the South West average and around half of the England average.  

David Sidwick has been confirmed as the new Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset. The declaration was made today (Friday 7 May) by Graham Farrant, Police Area Returning Officer, following Police and Crime Commissioner elections. David Sidwick will take up office as Police and Crime Commissioner on Thursday 13 May. Dorset Police Chief Constable James Vaughan said: “I ...

People have voted and the results are in for the May 2021 town council by-elections and neighbourhood plan referendums in Dorset. An election also took place for the Police and Crime Commissioner. Although elections did not take place this year for Dorset Council councillors (they happen in 2024), some town council by-elections and neighbourhood plan referendums ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is recruiting young people aged 16-25 who are not in education, employment or training for their upcoming Prince’s Trust Team programme. This 12-week personal development course will involve a mixture of group activity sessions both indoors and out, including a two-week work experience placement, enabling participants to gain the ...

Step by step, mile by mile, Teresa Drage is leading from the front in the RNLI Mayday Mile Challenge. Teresa who is the head of the Fund Raising Committee at Weymouth lifeboat station is undertaking the RNLI Mayday challenge, to travel a mile by any means every day for the month of May. Teresa, who uses a ...

Officers investigating a fatal road traffic collision near Weymouth are renewing their appeal for information, with a plea for residents to check home CCTV systems. Sergeant Rhys Griffiths, of the traffic unit, said: “To help our enquiries, I would urge any residents along Greenhill, Preston Beach Road and Preston Road up to Osmington Hill who have ...

Ben Sloyan, a 32 year old Speaker from Poole, who is a member of the Dorchester based Casterbridge Speakers Club, won the International Speech final and now goes through to the World Championships in the USA. Competing against other UK Speakers, Ben was voted the best with his emotive speech on loneliness. “Words fail me to ...

A man has come forward following an image appeal in relation to an incident where a child’s bike was reportedly damaged in Weymouth. The incident occurred at around 4.30pm on Sunday 18 April 2021 at the Wyke Regis Pump Track off Fairview Road. It was reported that an 11-year-old boy was riding with a friend at the ...

Weymouth All weather and Inshore lifeboats had a busy bank holiday weekend dealing with four shouts. Both Weymouth RNLI lifeboats were launched just after 9.30pm on Monday 3rd May to search for a yacht in Weymouth Bay which had broken free from its mooring in Portland Harbour. When it broke free in severe gale force winds from ...

The Keep Military Museum in Dorchester has announced that it plans to re-open at 11am on Monday 17th May.  COVID safety measures will obviously have to be in force and visitors must book in advance – on our website, www.keepmilitarymuseum.org, or by telephone (01305 364066) – but the Museum will be back in business. Elliot Metcalfe, ...

Weymouth RNLI Inshore lifeboat was launched at 5.36pm on Monday 3rd May to assist the Police and Coastguard teams with a casualty waist deep in the water below the Nothe Fort. In attendance shortly after launching, the lifeboat crew put a crew member into the water alongside a Coastguard and assisted in getting him into a ...

UPDATE: As of Tuesday morning (4 May) the tree has been removed and the road is clear. Strong winds tonight (3 May) have brought down a tree across Great Western Road in Dorchester, completely blocking the road and affecting parked cars. It is not known at this time whether damage or injury has been caused. From the ...

Weymouth RNLI All-weather and Inshore lifeboats were on a regular training exercise in Weymouth Bay on Sunday 2nd May, when Solent Coastguard requested that a lifeboat attend the cruise ship Marella Explorer 2 which was at anchor in the bay. It was reported that a crew member from the cruise ship had been injured and needed ...

Crews from Dorchester and Weymouth fire stations attended a workshop fire in Charminster on Saturday 1st May. BA wearers extinguished the fire using hose reels and main lines. The fire also spread to overhead power cables causing additional hazards. The Fire Service had asked people to avoid the area whilst they worked to extinguish the fire and ...

Extinction Rebellion have told KeeP 106 that two roads, Kings Street in Weymouth and Trinity Street in Dorchester, were today (Sat 1 May) temporarily blocked at 11am by protesters sitting in the road wearing signs which read ‘I’m terrified my nieces will face violence and starvation because of the climate crisis’ and ‘I’m terrified for ...

Congratulations are in order as the new £16.1 million Dorset Museum is ready to open to the public on the 28th of May 2021. The wait is finally over for a building project that started in October 2018 and in that time has seen six major storms and a global pandemic. The last 12 months have ...

Case rates across the Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council areas remain stable again this week. The rates for both areas are similar to the South West average and around half of the England average. The number of people in Dorset hospitals with COVID-19 has remained in single figures over the past few ...

Want to make a difference to people living in your community? Apply to Dorset Council’s new project and event fund for arts, museums, heritage, community, play and physical activities. The new fund launches today (30 April) to help kick-start new activities and projects supporting disadvantaged, marginalised or under-served groups in Dorset, including those affected by the ...

Dr Karen Kirkham, GP and Assistant Clinical Chair, NHS Dorset CCG, and Sam Crowe, Director of Public Health for Dorset and BCP Councils have jointly issued the following letter: Every NHS COVID-19 vaccination in Dorset gives us hope. Vaccines are the best way to protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19, everyone should get their vaccination ...

For the elections on 6 May, Dorset Council is putting in place many of the measures we’ve become used to over recent months. In the Dorset Council area, elections are taking place for the Police and Crime Commissioner. There will also be several town/parish council by-elections and neighbourhood plan referendums. Measures to ensure the voting experience is safe include: social distancing ...

A man has been arrested in connection with an alleged burglary at a restaurant in Dorchester. It was reported that a break-in occurred at the Kao San Thai Restaurant in High West Street between 9pm on Sunday 28 March and 9am on Monday 29 March 2021. A till drawer containing a small amount of loose change was ...

Weymouth RNLI Inshore lifeboat was launched at 3.58 am on Wednesday 28th April 2021 at the request of Solent Coastguard to take over a tow that had begun with Swanage all weather lifeboat. Swanage lifeboat had taken a Westerly 34’ motor cruiser with one person on board in tow after it had broken down. Due to ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward after an incident involving a dog near Wareham. The incident occurred at around 8.30am on Sunday 18 April 2021 while the victim – a man aged in his 70s – was running on a path near to Sherford Bridge toward Sugar Hill. The man saw ...

Cllr Tony Ferrari, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, is seeking suggestions for local infrastructure projects in Weymouth and Portland which could be included as part of a bid for the Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ fund. The bid will be submitted jointly by Dorset Council and Richard Drax MP in June, with support from Weymouth ...

Dorset council is seeking applications from relevant organisations to apply for government’s Community Renewal Fund. The Fund is specifically for projects that focus on supporting people and communities most in need across the UK. Applicants can put forward potential projects which align with one, or deliver across several, of the following investment priorities: investment in skills investment for ...

On the afternoon of Saturday 24th April strong offshore winds caught out two paddle boarders who ended up more than a mile from Chesil Cove, Portland after getting in to difficulty. The Coastguard received 999 calls from onlookers who raised the alarm when the pair were unable to get back to shore despite attempts to scramble ...

Officers investigating a serious injury multi-vehicle collision in West Dorset are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dashcam to come forward. At 4.10pm on Friday 23 April 2021 a five-vehicle collision occurred on the A35 at Winterborne Abbas involving a grey Triumph motorcycle, a black Aprilia motorcycle, a bronze Nissan pick-up, a silver Kia Sportage and ...

Local 7-day case rates have remained stable over the past few weeks, at around 10-20 cases per 100,000 of the population in both the Dorset and BCP Council areas. Public Health Dorset data shows that COVID-related hospitalisations and deaths have also remained low in recent weeks. In the last two weeks we’ve seen restrictions eased further, ...

An Amber wildfire alert has been issued for the Dorset area, which is likely to stay in place into next week. This alert means that, should a wildfire be experienced, it could spread quickly and easily due to the dry and windy conditions. As seen with the major incident at Wareham Forest last year, wildfires take ...

Officers investigating a claim that a car was stolen from an address in Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Dorset Police received a report on Wednesday 14 April 2021 that a black BMW 320D M Sport had been stolen in Damers Road some time before Friday 9 April 2021. A further ...

An A-Roads Taskforce to address urgent and long-term issues with Dorset’s main roads has been launched. The Taskforce, which had its first meeting on Friday 23rd April, was launched by West Dorset MP, Chris Loder, and includes representation from elected Dorset Council members, Dorset Highways, and Highways England. Mr Loder said: “It is vital that we ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward following a serious injury collision in Purbeck. Dorset Police was called at 3pm on Thursday 22 April 2021 to a report of a two vehicle collision on East Street near Corfe Castle involving a blue Ford Fiesta and a red Mazda. As a result of the collision the Ford ...

Weymouth-based Community Interest Company (CIC) Weyforward, founded by Jason West and Baron Miles, has teamed up with Weymouth College and the DWP to create five new jobs for Universal Credit claimants from Weymouth aged 24 and under. Connor Hansford, 23, is the Weymouth Library of Things Project Catalyst. “The idea for a Weymouth library of things ...

Detectives are appealing for anyone with information to come forward after the body of a woman was sadly recovered from the sea off Lyme Regis. Dorset Police received a report from the Coastguard at 10.48am on Monday 19 April 2021 that the body of a woman had been found in the water around one mile east ...

Officers investigating a burglary at a home in Dorchester are appealing for anyone with information to come forward and have issued images of the jewellery that was stolen. The address, in South Court Avenue, was broken into sometime between 12pm on Tuesday 13 April and 12pm on Sunday 18 April 2021 while the occupant was working ...

Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, says Custom House Quay railings in Weymouth ‘must go ahead to prevent further unnecessary death’ following another three people having fallen into the harbour on Friday night with two of them having to be rescued by the Dorset Fire and Rescue. Mr Loder said: ‘I realise how some feel about ...

The northbound carriageway of Furzebrook Road at Stoborough in Purbeck has been closed following reports of a possible explosive device. A spokesperson for Dorset Police said “It is believed to be a shell dating from World War Two that has been found in the area. “Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) experts have been contacted and a cordon has ...

Dorset Council has told KeeP 106 that it has taken the recent decision to stop funding and providing its three Tourist Information Centres at Dorchester, Sherborne and Wareham (Discover Purbeck). All three TICs are now permanently closed for face to face service and are currently operating a telephone and email enquiry service which will end ...

The organisers of the Thomas Hardy Victorian Fair, which ran so successfully in 2019, have told KeeP 106 they are delighted to announce that the event will take place on 6th June this year but in a different format in view of Covid rules. A cautious approach will be taken this year.  Although the roadmap to ...

Weymouth RNLI Lifeboat station has taken delivery of an Atlantic 85 Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) which will replace the aging relief Atlantic 75. The new Atlantic 85 named ‘Jack and Phyl Claire’ is a larger, more modern and capable boat and features an additional 4th crew seat as well as an integrated communications system, radar and direction-finding ...

Wessex Water is helping customers save water and money in their bathrooms by offering free Leaky Loo strips. A leaking toilet can waste 200 to 400 litres of water a day. If you’re on a water meter, this could increase your yearly water bill by around £300. Leaky Loo strips are among the water saving devices available ...

Dorset Police today, Monday 19 April, sees the formation of two Local Police Areas (LPAs) in its drive to provide an outstanding service to the people of Dorset. These changes will allow the Force to better respond to the issues that matter most to communities. The newly structured LPAs share their borders with corresponding councils. The Bournemouth, ...

Officers investigating a road traffic collision near Bere Regis are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Shortly after 7.25am on Friday 16 April 2021 a collision occurred on the A35 on Sugar Hill close to Bere Regis, involving a tipper lorry, a silver Mitsubishi L200 and a black Range Rover. The driver of ...

The start of construction work on Dorset County Hospital’s multi-storey car park has been officially marked with a turf cutting ceremony. Representatives from the hospital, health and care property developer Prime and contractors Willmott Dixon gathered on site to see how work was progressing. The car park, due to be completed in summer 2022, is the first ...

KeeP 106 has received the following statement from Dorset Council about the safety barrier installation at Weymouth Harbour: Cllr. Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment at Dorset Council, has issued the following statement in response to continued coverage of the safety barrier installation at Weymouth Harbour. “Following concerns raised by residents directly with the ...

Today (Friday 16 April), parents across the county are finding out which primary, first junior or middle school their child will be going to in September 2021. Of the 4482 applications – 99.09 per cent of parents are receiving the good news that their child has gained one of their three preferences, compared to last years’ ...

To help combat the negative impact on the high streets of on-line shopping over this last year of the pandemic, one Dorset town has come up with a innovative way to encourage the local community back to the town centre by making it possible to park for FREE, all they have to do is spend ...