News Archive

Dorset County Hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging Department has been received national recognition for the quality of its services. The department has been granted the Quality Standard for Imaging (QSI) accreditation. The UKAS accreditation is recognition of the department’s dedication to provide a safe and efficient service for our patients. To achieve accreditation a department must submit written evidence against ...

Dorset Council’s Scrutiny committee will meet on 25 March to discuss recommendations to reduce the number of council-owned offices in Dorchester by using buildings more efficiently, offering annual savings of over half a million pounds. The proposals are the culmination of extensive work that began shortly after Dorset Council was formed, reviewing the council’s office estate ...

Officers investigating a fatal road traffic collision near Wimborne are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. The incident, which happened on the B3082 Blandford Road close to the turning for Kingston Lacy, was reported to police at 12.58pm on Wednesday 17 March 2021. It involved a gold-coloured Honda motorcycle. Officers attended the scene ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward following an alleged affray incident in Dorchester – with one man arrested. Dorset Police was called at around 3.50pm on Monday 15 March 2021 to a report of a man with a baseball bat in the Maumbury Road area near to the traffic lights junction. It is alleged that ...

The Dorset Police Cyber Crime Facebook page has the following warning: Keep your eyes peeled for this scam text that’s doing the rounds. This one is fairly well known by now, but it can be very convincing so it’s well worth a reminder. This particular link takes you to a convincing lookalike of the Royal Mail website, ...

The Dorchester & Poundbury Business awards remain open for your nominations. Organiser Nigel Reeve says: ‘I would like to thank everybody who has been involved so far, the response has been fantastic. We’ve come a long way since the December launch”. We now also know the venue for the awards ceremony, which is Minterne House, and is ...

Dorset Police Deputy Chief Constable Scott Chilton and Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill are issuing a message to Dorset’s communities about violence against women. “Over the last week many people in our communities have understandably felt the need to speak out about their experiences and fears of violence, abuse or harassment in this country. “We acknowledge ...

Diverse Abilities, in partnership with Charity Challenge, has launched its Dorset 3 Peaks challenge for 2021. Taking place on Saturday June 19, participants trek across the Wessex Ridgeway to raise funds for Dorset’s disability charity. Participants will ascend to the top of Lewesdon Hill, Pilsdon Pen, and Bulbarrow Hill on Saturday June 19. Summiting an accumulative ...

On Thursday 11th March, at around 12:45, Officers attended an incident in the fields opposite Poundbury cemetery. There was a report of a suspicious male who appeared to be whistling for a dog that did not belong to him. A search of the area was conducted but it is believed the male left in a vehicle prior ...

Detectives investigating a suspicious fire in Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. At around 10.40pm on Thursday 11 March 2021 Dorset Police received a report of a fire in a bin store at an address in Foundry Place. Officers attended, along with the fire service and the fire was extinguished. A 48-year-old ...

Electric vehicle chargepoints have been installed and are live at Wollaston Field car park, Dorchester; Gas Lane, Gillingham; Old Market Yard, Sherborne; The Hub car park, Verwood; and King Street car park, Wimborne. These offer residents and businesses a cleaner and greener way to travel in Dorset. Further chargepoints will be switched on in the coming ...

A man has been sentenced following the death of a man during an assault at an address in Weymouth. Mark Robert Bosworth, 48, of Dorchester Road in Weymouth, was found guilty on Thursday 11 March 2021 of the manslaughter of 32-year-old David Andrew Thomson following a trial at Winchester Crown Court. He was sentenced to six ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward following an attempted robbery in Dorchester. At around 2.25pm on Tuesday 9 March 2021 Dorset Police received a report that a 17-year-old boy had been assaulted in an alleyway near to Tesco on Weymouth Avenue. It is reported that he walked past two men who ...

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has pledged to do more to ensure it is a fully inclusive employer following the publication of the latest NHS National Staff Survey results. The annual survey gives an important insight into what it’s like working in NHS trusts throughout the country and the results are used to review and ...

Dorset Council are starting to send out council tax bills this week and have published an article which explains its budget and the reasons for the council tax increase. The council has increased its budget for next financial year to £313 million (from £304 million last year). The annual budget pays for all the services the council provides ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward after damage was caused to a rainbow banner outside a school in Dorchester. At around 8.30pm on Sunday 7 March 2021 it was discovered that a plastic rainbow banner that was on the front gate of The Prince of Wales School on Maiden Castle ...

From Monday 8 March, restrictions start to lift and the government’s four-step roadmap offers a route back to a more normal life. From 8 March: pupils and students in all schools and further education can return to face-to-face education with testing measures in place you can spend time in outdoor public spaces for recreation on your own, with ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward after a man allegedly indecently exposed himself in Weymouth. The incident occurred at around 5.15pm on Thursday 4 March 2021. It is reported that a man was on the beach opposite The Nook bar indecently exposing himself and performing a lewd act. Officers attended and ...

Household recycling centres once again straining under increased visitor numbers. Do not visit a household recycling centre (HRC, or “the tip”) right now unless your waste cannot be stored safely at home. This is the simple message that Dorset Council is using to help deal with rising visitor numbers. Recent warm weather has resulted in HRCs becoming ...

Neighbourhood Policing Officers were called to Weymouth Swimming Pool Car Park on Knightsdale Road after reports of a large group of youths causing anti-social behaviour. The area was searched with no trace. Officers attended later in the evening and located vehicles parked in the car park. When officers asked for a reason as to why they ...

The latest update from Public Health Dorset: Over 300,000 Dorset residents have taken up the offer of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Have you thought about how you’ll get to your appointment? If you don’t have your own transport or you’re not sure how to get there, your council can help with travel advice and they can also ...

Dorset Council celebrates as it receives £19 million of government funding to reduce its carbon footprint. Councillors and officers are working hard on how they intend to update and upgrade Dorset Council’s properties using £19 million of grant funding, awarded by the government to help to tackle the Climate and Ecological Emergency. This programme of work will ...

With the continued pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dorset residents experiencing domestic abuse are reminded they can get confidential advice and support. For some people, home is not a safe place right now. Lockdown measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have left them feeling trapped and at greater risk of harm. Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, Dorset ...

Officers investigating a burglary at a home in Owermoigne are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. A property in Wareham Road was broken into between 12.30pm and 1.10pm on Tuesday 2 March 2021 and a number of items were stolen including medals, collectable coins and jewellery. Police Constable James Curtis-Burchett, of Dorset Police, ...

Dorchester Police and residents have reacted after a defibrillator in Piddlehinton was vandalised. The Police commented; “We have had a report of complete mindless vandalism to a Defibrillator at Piddlehinton Rugby club which was there for all the community to use in a medical emergency.” There has been outrage from the public on social media; “How disgraceful! Someone’s ...

A special hotline set up to help people with digital enquiries has seen the number of calls it receives almost triple during this latest lockdown. From January 5 to February 5, the Dorset Digital Hotline received 132 calls – its biggest ever monthly total and nearly three times the average monthly calls it received in the ...

Officers investigating criminal damage to a van in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Between 2.30pm and 4.30pm on Friday 26 February 2021 a Ford Transit van that was parked on Dorchester Road near to Greenhill Dental Practice was damaged. Damage was caused to both sides of the vehicle, the bonnet ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding the public about the importance of garden safety following an incident involving an out-of-control bonfire last week. Spring is almost here which means lighter evenings and warmer weather are on their way, so it’s likely that many will want to start getting out in the garden and ...

The A35 Dorchester bypass is set to close every night this week for resurfacing. Highways England have confirmed that the stretch is to close from 8PM until 6AM for 5 nights, starting tonight (Monday). Regular drivers of this stretch have been narrowly avoiding numerous potholes along this stretch, some of which are more prominent around the Football ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) is encouraging all parts of its community to consider becoming an on-call firefighter. 1-7 March is the National Fire Chiefs Council’s On-Call Recruitment Week, and DWFRS is taking the opportunity to debunk some of the myths around what it means to be a firefighter. Station Manager Wayne Jones, the ...

“Creative thinking is a shining light for young minds” Bryanston takes steps to nurture creativity as an antidote to pandemic frustrations and extends initiatives to include other local schools. Special workshops delivered by acclaimed and award-winning artists are the latest in a series of online events at Bryanston to ensure pupils are challenged to explore their own ...

Officers are continuing to investigate a serious road traffic collision in Weymouth and are renewing their appeal for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Following extensive enquiries, it would appear that the incident occurred at approximately 10.18am on Saturday 27 February 2021 on Rodwell Road, close to the Kingswood Hotel. Eyewitnesses have reported that the ...

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 1st – 31st March 2021. Cancer charity, GO Girls, are raising awareness of newer treatments for women with ovarian cancer as part of this year’s ovarian cancer awareness month. Treatments for ovarian cancer have for many years remained static. However, a new range of drugs, known as PARP inhibitors, are bringing hope ...

The latest information published by Public Health Dorset: We are still in a national lockdown. Though the Prime Minster has set out a plan of how we may start to come out of the national lockdown, it is important to remember that we cannot relax on following government advice. We still need to follow the national lockdown ...

Mrs Jean Turner, a resident of Swanbridge Court in Dorchester, has celebrated her 102nd birthday in style, with the Dorchester Town Crier and KeeP 106 helping the proceedings go with a swing. At 3pm on 25th February Alistair Chisholm, the Town Crier in full ceremonial regalia, performed a special cry and KeeP 106 played ‘Happy ...

Dorset Council are developing a Dorset Harbours Strategy to guide the development of the three harbours under their management over the next ten years. The Dorset Coast Forum have been working with the Dorset Council Harbours Committee to help develop this new strategy for Weymouth, Bridport and Lyme Regis Harbours which will unify them under ...

Passengers travelling on the line between Bristol and Weymouth can look forward to a more reliable railway, following vital maintenance between Dorchester West and Castle Cary last week. Over a five-day line closure from Monday 15 to Friday 19 February, engineers completed a series of improvements to help maintain the reliability of the railway including: Rescaling of ...

This morning (25 Feb), at approximately 8.53, crews from Poole and Dorchester Fire Station attended a single vehicle collision near to Bere Regis. A scaffolding lorry had rolled into the central reservation and collided with a tree. No one was trapped in the incident and the occupants of the vehicle managed to self-extricate suffering only minor injuries ...

Officers investigating a burglary where car keys were stolen and the subsequent theft of number plates in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Between 11pm on Saturday 20 February and 8.45am on Sunday 21 February 2021 a set of car keys were stolen from an address off Malborough Avenue. It ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward following a commercial burglary in Weymouth. At around 8.35am on Monday 22 February 2021 it was reported that a break-in had occurred at Hungerhill Garage on Lower Putton Lane. It is believed that the burglary took place during the evening of Sunday 21 February ...

The owner of a dog that was involved in an alleged dog bite incident has been identified following an image appeal. At around 10.30am on Thursday 18 February 2021 a family group was walking along Queensland Road when they came across a small black Terrier type dog running loose on its own. It is reported that the ...

The organisers of the Steam Fair have released this statement today (Tues 23 Feb) Following a further review by the Great Dorset Steam Fair Board of Directors, it is with much regret and sadness that I confirm the 2021 Great Dorset Steam Fair (scheduled to take place from Thursday 26th to Bank Holiday Monday 30th August ...

Lulworth Estate lobbies government for better countryside manners on behalf of UK’s coast and countryside. James Weld of the Lulworth Estate has told KeeP 106 that they have engaged with government and lodged a petition with the Government Petitions Committee to request both immediate and longer-term action regarding the damage experienced in the UK’s countryside after ...

Four men have been jailed after a man was kidnapped from outside his home in Bridport then assaulted and blackmailed. Leslie Richardson, also known as Leslie Ades, aged 53 and of Westcliff-on-Sea, Lewis James Needham, aged 29 and of Dorchester, and Nigel Geoffrey Moors, aged 51 and of Puddletown, were all sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court ...

Ian Girling, Dorset Chamber chief executive, has said: “The Prime Minister’s roadmap finally provides some very welcome direction of travel. “Although there is light at the end of the tunnel, many businesses in the hardest hits sectors such as non-essential retail, leisure and hospitality may be disappointed with the timescales and feel he is being overly ...

Following the announcement from The Department for Health & Social Care, unpaid carers in the Dorset Council area can now request free Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for when they are carrying out their caring responsibilities. There is a focus on extra-resident carers (those who live outside of the household of the cared for person). Unpaid care ...

Stepping into Nature are excited to announce that Picnic in the Parks, a popular event in Dorset, has moved online and is full of fresh ideas to find inspiration, discover new experiences and enjoy fun health and nature-related activities. Spending time engaging with nature, indoors or out, boosts your mood, self-esteem and motivation to be active. ...

Figures published today (19 Feb 2021) show the COVID-19 vaccination programme which started on December 8 has now delivered 240,890 doses in Dorset and rising. Over 15 million people have now received at least one dose across the UK with those aged 65 and over now being invited to book a vaccination. Supported by hundreds of volunteers, ...

Hot off the back of their recent gold award in the Dorset Tourism Awards, Fish ‘n’ Fritz, Weymouth decided to look for a way to say thank you to the local community. Paul Hay, the owner of Fish ‘n’ Fritz carried out some research and soon discovered, the demand for emergency food from Weymouth Foodbank grew ...

Aspire Adoption, one of the country’s first Regional Adoption Agencies, has placed its 200th child with their forever family. The Adoption Agency for Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole (BCP) Council have continued, without pause, through the Covid-19 pandemic, to find families for those children across the county who need an adoptive family to give them ...

Following the persistent rain that Dorset has experienced, and more yet to come, the Environment Agency have issued a number of warning across the county. Groundwater levels in West Dorset have been receding following the dry, cold weather we experienced last week. With recent rainfall and further rainfall forecast over the coming week, the Environment Agency ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority (DWFRA) is inviting local people to give their views on its draft Community Safety Plan, after a public consultation into the plan opened today (17 February), running until 13 May. All fire and rescue authorities have a statutory duty to produce a Community Risk Management Plan and DWFRA fulfil ...

Dorset Council will propose to stop funding their last three Tourist Information Centres (TICs) in Dorchester, Sherborne and Wareham that it currently runs, and to investigate alternative ways of providing these services in the future. Dorset Council cannot afford to continue to fund TICs. There are five other TICs in Blandford, Bridport, Shaftesbury, Swanage and Wimborne ...

Officers are appealing for anyone with information to come forward after a man sustained an injury during an incident involving a dog in Weymouth. At around 9.40pm on Monday 8 February 2021 a man and woman were walking their dog on the beach near to Greenhill Bowling Club when a Staffordshire Bull Terrier – that was ...

NHS Dorset say, to local residents, Thank you for your continued support for your local NHS. Your support means so much to everyone in the NHS. Thanks to the tireless work of everyone – from vaccinators to volunteers – the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out is on a clear upward trajectory, with more than 200,000 doses delivered locally ...

Every year, hundreds of children need foster carers in Dorset while they can’t live with their own families. Could you open your home be one of our highly valued foster carers? Maybe your looking to reduce hours in the office or know someone who is looking to start a new career? Cllr Andrew Parry, Dorset Council Portfolio ...

Wessex Water has distributed funding to 85 groups across the south west to help local communities as they recover from the effects of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Following a series of online local panels, in partnership with regional community foundations, the water and sewerage company decided which charities and community groups would receive funding. One of the ...

The Dorchester Window Wanderland, runs from Friday, 19th February to Sunday 21st February. On these three evenings (from 6-9pm), local residents will be able to enjoy an outdoor trail of decorated windows. There are already over 100 window-makers signed up, with people, businesses, churches and schools taking part right across the town. Residents will be able ...

Confirmed cases and hospitalisations have continued to fall across Dorset, which shows that the national lockdown restrictions are having an impact. Whilst this is good news, it’s important to remember that these figures have been falling from a very high level so there is still a way to go. For comparison, we still have higher ...

Dorset Council’s Family Information Service offers a number of activities for children during half-term week. We may not be able to do much of what we want to this half-term, but there are still lots of ways for you and your family to have fun! They’ve put together a collection of activity ideas to inspire you to explore ...