News Archive

A Weymouth man has been jailed for more than 20 years for a series of sexual offences dating back around 30 years. Mark Paul Slater, aged 65 and of Beverley Road, Weymouth, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court to 23 years in prison on Monday 18 October 2021 after being found guilty following a trial of ...

Pupils from Bryanston School near Blandford have completed a challenging swim across The Solent and already raised nearly £5,000 for Level Water, a national children’s charity. Aged between 14 and 18, the ten pupils successfully completed the 6km crossing from Fort Gilkicker near Gosport to Ryde Sands on the Isle of Wight after many months ...

Dorset health organisations are working with Dorset Council to create a space for rapid access clinics in South Walks House, Dorchester, as part of a county-wide effort to tackle NHS waiting lists. The ‘Outpatient Assessment Centre @ Dorset Health Village’ will operate out of the ground floor of the former council offices for six months, opening ...

Dorset health organisations are working with Dorset Council to create a space for rapid access clinics in South Walks House, Dorchester, as part of a county-wide effort to tackle NHS waiting lists. The ‘Outpatient Assessment Centre @ Dorset Health Village’ will operate out of the ground floor of the former council offices for six months, opening ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward following an assault in Weymouth. The incident occurred at around 2.05am on Saturday 2 October 2021 on The Esplanade near to Astrid Way. It is reported that the victim – a man aged in his 20s – was walking with a woman when he was ...

A protest march organised by Olympic sailor Laura Baldwin, through the community group she co-founded, Portland 4 the Planet, went ahead on Saturday 16th October with more than twice as many people than last year’s event making a stand against the proposal for a waste incinerator at Portland Port. Hundreds gathered in Victoria Square to listen ...

Resurfacing works will close the A35 Poole Hill Roundabout, Bere Regis, for four nights and one day in early November. Dorset Highways is carrying out structural repairs as well as applying a new road surface as part of its ongoing maintenance work across the county. Due to the treatment being used – where the foundation layers will ...

We have continued to see an increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19 this week, in line with the national picture. Dorset Council’s rate is above the regional average but below the national average, whereas Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s case rate remains lower than the South West and England averages. Cases remain highest amongst younger ...

As reported and by KeeP 106, Dorset Climate Action Network has just hosted the first Dorset-wide Open Greener Homes event. Held on the last weekend of September and the first weekend of October, fifty homes were open to the general public to showcase what changes they had made to their homes to make them more ...

In a record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award, as the scheme marks its Silver Jubilee, Dorset Council has six countryside sites celebrating success today – the best ever results for Dorset – including Thorncombe Wood near Thomas Hardy’s birthplace. Today, Dorset Council is raising a Green Flag Award at six of its parks. The award ...

Become a Maternity Voices volunteer and make a difference to maternity services in Dorset People in Dorset who have used maternity services in the past five years, or who have supported a family to do so, are being invited to apply to become a Service User Representative or Maternity Partnership Chair for the new Maternity Voices ...

Following enquiries into an alleged racially aggravated abuse of a football player at a match in Bridport a man has attended a voluntary interview. 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 October ...

Transition Town has been awarded the 400 free trees and hedgerow shrubs by The Conservation Volunteers via their ‘I Dig Trees’ programme sponsored by OVO Energy. The trees and shrubs will be used to supplement the new hedgerows recently planted over the last few years at Castlefield (the informal open space between Maiden Castle Road and ...

A local community has taken a significant step closer to having greater influence over planning decisions in their area. A final version of the Stinsford Neighbourhood Plan has been submitted to the council for examination. The plan has been drawn up by local people, and agreed by the parish council, who feel confident that the plan reflects ...

A Dorset police officer has won the South West regional police bravery award at the National Police Bravery Awards that were held in London last night. PC Roz Fricker, who was a probationary officer at the time, was badly injured as she tackled an aggressive man who was wielding a hammer and threatening members of the ...

Dorset Council has been awarded £2.13m to unlock land for homes. The grant funding will be used to help build almost 200 homes in Dorset on underused brownfield land, helping local people and families get on the property ladder. Dorset Council submitted an ambitious bid earlier in the year to the Brownfield Land Release Fund, administered through ...

From Monday the 25th to Saturday the 30th October Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum in Dorchester will become home to spooky family-friendly fun for the ultimate Halloween themed visit. Based in Dorchester, Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum brings over 200 years of justice and injustice to life. With interactive galleries, immersive cells and the impressive courtroom, ...

Dorset Council is proposing to keep the current safety railings on Custom House Quay, Weymouth, in place for the foreseeable future. The railings were installed in April earlier this year following advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that edge protection was required to ensure that people were adequately protected from falling in the harbour. These ...

Dorset Council is carrying out a survey to find out what people in Dorset think about their waste and recycling services, how they can be improved and what your priorities are. The survey contains 15 short questions covering the kerbside recycling and waste collection service, household recycling centres (HRCs), fly-tipping & litter, and communications. Those who have filled out ...

Detectives have launched an investigation into the death of a man in Weymouth – with one man arrested. At around 12.20pm on Monday 11 October 2021 officers received a report from the ambulance service of the sudden death of a man aged in his 50s at an address in Portmore Gardens. Enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the ...

Passengers in Weymouth, Dorchester and Yeovil will soon benefit from big improvements to their railway as engineers get to work on improving track and stations. Between Thursday 18 November and Friday 3 December there will be major surgery for the ‘Heart of Wessex’ line, which connects Weymouth and Bristol. Almost five miles of track will be ...

Everyone takes electricity for granted nowadays, and so when there is a power cut we appreciate how frustrating it can be. Parts of Dorset have seen a number of outages in recent months. With this in mind, SSE have the following advice on what to do should you experience a loss in supply at your home. Check ...

The draft Dorset Harbours Strategy has been approved for public consultation and Dorset Council is now seeking views to build a strategy that is supported by communities and stakeholders. Dorset Council is developing a Harbours Strategy to guide the development of Bridport, Lyme Regis and Weymouth harbours over the next ten years. The Dorset Coast Forum ...

After a two year break due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the popular Castletown at War event is back this weekend. Castletown at War is a joint venture organised by the Castletown D-Day Centre and the Portland Castle English Heritage team. Over the weekend, organisers promise an immersive World War II experience for all the family, spread across ...

Persimmon Homes are running a scheme called ‘Building Futures’ where they are giving away £1 million to support children’s health, sport, education and arts. St Osmund’s School Headteacher, Saira Sawtell, has applied for the school to receive a prize in the sport category so that they can purchase outdoor play equipment. A spokesperson from the school told ...

Weymouth RNLI all-weather lifeboat was launched at 5.20pm on Sunday 10th October at the request of Solent Coastguard to go to the aid of a 6 metre angling boat which had broken down off Portland near to Chane Weares. The vessel, with two persons on board, had suffered engine failure but was fitted with an auxiliary ...

Dorchester Town Council has arranged for repairs to the much loved steam roller in the play area at Kings Road Playing Fields. The extensive works required are expected to take place over the next 3-4 months. There is a lot of rust and decay in places, and some of the work requires dry weather, so it’s ...

Campaigners opposed to the construction of up to 4,000 houses on farmland north of Dorchester have welcomed the Prime Minister’s pledge not to allow homes to be built on green fields. Boris Johnson told the Conservative Party Conference that he understood fears that the countryside could be “desecrated by ugly new homes”. His remarks were warmly received ...

After 5 years a hairy thatcher is finally losing his long luscious locks all for a good cause. Taking place on 30th October, James’ personal thatch removal is raising funds for The Little Princess Trust which was founded in memory of 5 year old Hannah Tarplee. James has told KeeP 106 that it would mean ...

Case rates in both the Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council areas have seen small increases on last week, but on the whole remain relatively stable. Dorset Council’s case rate is similar to the England average but above the South West average, whilst BCP Council’s rate is below both the regional and national ...

A petition to bring back the former train stations at Grimstone and Frampton has been sent to Dorset Council, Network Rail and Chris Loder MP. Grimstone and Frampton train station opened on the 20 January 1857 and served the local villagers well for 109 years until it closed 3 October 1966. The train station was completely ...

Just before 2.30 this afternoon (Wed 6th Oct) a crew from Dorchester Fire Station were sent to reports of car fire in Puddletown. The crew arrived to find a car fully engulfed in flames on New Street. The firefighters got to work with 2 hose reel jets and a single breathing apparatus wearer. The crew left the ...

Dorchester Christmas Cracker returns for 2021 with a new format. Over the past 25 years the Cracker night has been held on a Thursday evening and it traditionally rained. This year the team organising the event which includes representatives from Dorchester Chamber for Business, Dorchester BID and the retail community have decided to expand the event ...

Litter Free Dorset is inviting everyone to join them and a panel of experts #TalkingRubbish between 10:00-12:00 on Wednesday 13th October 2021. A free, open to the public, online webinar with presentations and Q&A sessions exploring behaviour change campaigns, drone technology, social media/marketing tools for environmental campaigns and where Dorset’s waste goes. See the full speaker ...

The Seasiders made it two league wins from two outings and apart from the final minute when concentration slipped allowing the visitors in for a try at the death they never looked to be in any trouble of coming second in this contest despite a spirited effort from their guests from Bournemouth. With the ball resembling ...

Dorset Council are asking for Dorset businesses and organisations to step-up and lend their support to help young people who have been brought into the care of the Council, who are looking to develop their independence, and may not have the usual support of friends and family. They would like to invite you to a live ...

Churches from across Dorchester are to come together for a market stall event, to raise funds for Christian Aid, at the United Church on Saturday 16 October. Among the churches taking part are St George’s Fordington, St Peter’s Dorchester, the Quakers, United Church, Dorchester Baptist Church and St Mary’s. They will be joined by Fairtrade and ...

As the autumn nights draw in there’s still time to visit a pub garden be it for a lunchtime ploughman’s or to catch the early evening sunset, and what better garden to visit than the current 2021 West Dorset Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Pub Garden of the year, the Pymore Inn near Bridport. The pub ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam to come forward as they investigate a serious injury road traffic collision in Weymouth. A report was received at 3.57pm on Saturday 2 October 2021 in relation to a single vehicle collision on Preston Road, involving a grey BMW that had left the road and collided ...

“Road havoc” is what one listener told KeeP 106 today (Saturday 2 Oct) after getting caught in multiple road closures in the past 24 hours. The A354 between Thornicombe and Blandford was closed after power cables fell causing disruption to commuters on Friday. Back roads to the town became jammed as HGVs tried to negotiate the ...

We continue to see a decline in cases in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole this week. However, cases in Dorset have risen this week. For Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, the case rates are below the South West average, for Dorset, the case rates are above the South West average. The local case rates remain below the ...

Thanks to Mike Watson who is one of Dorset’s volunteer Digital Champions, organised from County Hall, for sending us the following information which is sure to be of help to many people. “I was on duty in the foyer of Dorchester Library last Wednesday, and I watched a couple of folks struggle to pay for their ...

More people in Dorset can now access free technical advice thanks to the expansion of Dorset Council’s volunteer digital champion service. Since Covid restrictions were lifted, the council’s volunteer digital champions have gradually resumed their face-to-face advice sessions. From this autumn the volunteer champions are available, or will shortly be available, at 13 centres across Dorset – ...

Weymouth Lifeboat Station has recently received a large donation bequeathed in the will of Mrs Jean Johnson. The station was visited by Mrs Johnson’s executors, Mr & Mrs Stevenson who handed over a cheque for £235,000. A similar amount was also donated to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Mrs Stevenson said of Mrs Johnson: “Jean Patricia Johnson was ...

Dorchester Ladies FC return to the Dorset Women’s League for the 2021/22 season following a short break in the team’s proud history. With ambitions to create a new successful ladies team for the county town, the players and Manager Graham Stoker are also keen to provide a pathway to adult football for the many girls already ...

Weymouth RNLI lifeboat is more than just the 30 volunteer operational lifeboat crews. Behind them and supporting them is a number of other roles without which the station would not operate. In addition to a management team there is also a fund-raising team headed by Events Committee Chair Teresa Drage. Teresa has just been awarded a framed ...

On Saturday 26 September, Dorchester Ladies FC faced a tough battle at home against last season’s league runners up Weymouth FC Women. There were strong midfield battles in the first half which led to a competitive game, but Dorchester took the lead after 20mins as Bagwell showed greater strength to force home a Bartlett corner. The Magpies ...

Officers investigating an incident where a teenage boy was bitten by a dog in Weymouth are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. The incident occurred at around 1.50pm on Friday 17 September 2021, as the 13-year-old boy walked through an alleyway from Doncaster Road toward the Rodwell Trail. He walked past a man with a ...

The Boys’ Brigade in Dorchester is back with a clear message – “we’re open”. The group provides opportunities for children and young people to learn, grow and discover in a safe, fun and caring environment. There’s opportunities to develop skills, build confidence, make friends, work towards awards, make a difference in the local community and of ...

On 25 September officers from the West Dorset County Lines Management Team detained two people in the Park District area of Weymouth for a search under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Suspected controlled drugs and a large quantity of cash was seized following the search. Two people, who are not local to the Weymouth area, were arrested ...

Since last week’s update, case rates in Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole continued to decline but we have seen a small uptick in the last few days. This is reflective of the regional and national picture. Our local case rates are above the South West average but remain below the England average. In line ...

Dorset communities are being reminded that there is no fuel shortage in the county and no need to panic buy. Concerns about a shortage of fuel has led to an increase in the number of motorists visiting filling stations across the county. This has caused long queues and congestion on roads throughout Friday 24 September 2021, ...

Officers investigating a serious injury road traffic collision near Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward. Dorset Police received a report at 10.34am on Friday 24 September 2021 in relation to a collision on the B3157 Coast Road, near to the turning to Grove Lane between Portesham and Chickerell. The ...

The Dorchester Household Recycling Centre is set to close for the afternoon on Wednesday 29 September. The Louds Mill site will be closed from midday on the Wednesday for on-site works, and will not re-open until the following day (Thursday 30 September, 9am). Members of the public who planned to visit at this time are being asked ...

A £18,000 donation from grant-giving charity Talbot Village Trust has allowed local event, Planet Purbeck Festival, to go ahead for the first time this week. Running from 20-26th September 2021, the free-to-attend event taking place across the Purbeck area aims to increase awareness and encourage people to make more planet-conscious choices. The grant provided by Talbot Village ...

Friends of Dorset County Hospital have raised an incredible £20,000 to purchase a new ultrasound machine for the Rheumatology Department. The machine will be able to assist in the early diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks healthy tissues causing pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis affects ...

Is your child due to start Secondary or Upper school next September? If so Dorset Council advise that you need to apply by 31 October 2021 for the best chance of getting a place at their preferred school. This applies to all children moving from primary to secondary school, or middle to upper school in ...

97 year old West Dorset resident Ken Symonds received a welcome surprise on Saturday this week: the Bomber Command Clasp he should have received for his heroism in action over 75 years ago, presented to him by Local MP Chris Loder. Squadron Leader Mr Symonds’ neighbour decided to act after finding out he had not received ...

Dorset Council reports that twelve rural roads are being reconstructed this autumn thanks to the Department for Transport’s Pothole Fund. Dorset Highways has identified roads that have evolved from tracks and have very little construction, and have significant cracking, undulation or pothole damage, for permanent repair. This programme of work will use in-situ recycling to strengthen the ...

Solent Coastguard received a mobile phone 999 call from a vessel off of Portland Bill requesting help as they had broken down. Weymouth RNLI all-weather lifeboat ‘Ernest and Mabel’ was launched at 1.55pm on Sunday 19th September to go to the aid of the motor yacht which had set off from Portland Marina for a day ...