News Archive

Officers investigating a suspicious vehicle fire in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. At approximately 4.20am on Thursday 22 August 2019 Dorset Police was called by the fire service to a report of a vehicle on fire at the rear of a property on Littlemoor Road. Damage was caused to five ...

The RMT Union has instructed guard and driver members working at South Western Railway to take strike action on the following dates: Friday 30 August till Monday 2nd September (inclusive). In a statements from South Western Railway: “It’s extremely disappointing that despite having a date in the diary for what we hoped would be constructive talks held in ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people not to leave cooking unattended after a flat fire on Monday 26 August 2019. An elderly man was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation after leaving pans switched on and unattended; he only became aware that fire had broken out when the smoke alarm sounded. Station ...

Officers are renewing their appeal for residents to remain vigilant after scammers have targeted elderly residents in Shaftesbury. In the morning of Thursday 22 August 2019 an elderly woman received a phone call from a man purporting to be from NatWest. He told her that her bank cards were due for renewal and that someone would ...

A woman has come forward following an image appeal in relation to a reported assault in Dorchester. At approximately 3.30pm on Wednesday 14 August 2019 it was reported that a woman was shopping in Marks & Spencer on South Street when an altercation occurred involving another woman. The victim was allegedly pushed, causing her to fall backwards ...

Appeal following suspicious behaviour in Dorchester Detectives are appealing for witnesses to come forward after a man was seen acting suspiciously in the Fordington Fields area of Dorchester. At approximately 12.15am on Monday 26 August 2019 a woman was inside an address when she noticed a man with a torch standing in the corner of a car ...

Sunday 15 September sees the return of the popular traffic-free Dorchester High Street Heritage Day. As part of the national Heritage Open Days, High West Street and High East Street will be closed to traffic from 9.30am to allow people to enjoy Dorchester’s finest street without cars, noise and fumes. “You’ll be able to join a tour ...

Following on from last week’s exceptional A level results, the Thomas Hardye reached another milestone with record results in maths and English. Despite the introduction of new, more demanding examinations 76% of students achieved 5 passes including English and maths. The school continues to excel in the core subjects whilst offering a broad and balanced curriculum to ...

Hanna Baxter, 18, has received a national award in recognition of her work with young people in care. The Diana Awards are presented to young people aged between 9 and 25 years who are selflessly creating and achieving social change, in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. Hannah, who has spent time in care, dedicates her time ...

At 17:59 today (Wednesday), Dorset and Wiltshire Fire control took a 999 call to reports of smoke coming from the store room in a sports hall on Cranford Avenue in Weymouth. Two fire crews from Weymouth, One from Portland and the Aerial Ladder Platform from Westbourne were mobilised alongside an officer. On arrival the crews requested the ...

A man is due to appear in court in connection with a reported robbery in Weymouth. At around 12.30am on Sunday 7 April 2019 officers were called to St Nicholas Street following reports that an altercation had broken out between a local woman aged in her 20s and a man. It is alleged the man forcibly removed ...

A man has been arrested in connection with a reported assault at a pub in Weymouth. It was reported that at around 8.25pm on Thursday 20 June 2019 an altercation took place at the Duke of Edinburgh pub in St Thomas Street after a man was asked to leave by a member of staff. One female staff ...

Officers investigating the theft of machinery from a quarry site on Portland are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Between 5.30pm on Friday 16 August 2019 and 7am on Saturday 17 August 2019 two breakers for diggers were stolen from a quarry site off Easton Lane. Police Constable Tom Arnold, of Weymouth police, ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people to take care when cooking, especially when late at night and tired. Firefighters were called out in the early hours this week for a kitchen fire caused by pizza and chips being put into the oven by the occupant, who then fell asleep. Group Manager Katie Cornhill ...

We are pleased to say missing Eileen Samways from Wareham has been found safe by officers. The 72-year-old was reported missing at 9.50am on Thursday 15 August 2019 after it was discovered that she was not at her home address in Sherford Drive. She was last spoken to at 9.55am on Wednesday 14 August 2019. Extensive searches ...

An investigation is underway following a fatal collision in Gillingham. At 9.11am on Thursday 15 August 2019 Dorset Police was called to reports of a single vehicle collision on the B3081 Shaftesbury Road involving a blue Peugeot 207 that had left the road, gone through a hedge and come to rest next to the wall of ...

The Thomas Hardye School is celebrating another outstanding set of A Levels results. The overall pass rate was 99% with over one quarter of passes at grade A or A* – a remarkable achievement in a comprehensive school. The results confirm Thomas Hardye’s position as a leading provider of post-16 education with a national reputation. Most ...

Two local communities are just one step away from having approved neighbourhood plans for their area. Final versions of the Broadwindsor Neighbourhood Plan and Milborne St Andrew Neighbourhood Plan were submitted to Dorset Council for examination and referendums were held. Residents voted on whether to accept or reject the plans on 8 August 2019. In both ...

The Pavilion in the Park, the Great Field in Poundbury, has now received planning approval from Dorset Council. It is expected that building will start in the Spring of 2020. A revised plan was submitted earlier this year and, despite several objections, approval has been given. The building is set to hold a café and community space. The ...

A Bridport women who went missing in the early hours of this morning had been found. The 46-year-old was last seen at her home in Court Orchard Road at 12.15am on Thursday 15 August 2019 when she went to bed. She was reported missing at 3.07am when it was discovered she was no longer there. Following a ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people of the fire risks of having oxygen therapy systems in the home. Oxygen therapy is used by people with severe respiratory conditions, to provide air that contains more oxygen than normal. Specialist equipment – which can include cylinders and portable units – is used to pipe ...

Officers investigating an assault on a man in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses to come forward. At 1.37am on Saturday 10 August 2019 officers were called to Maiden Street by the ambulance service after a man was found unconscious in the road following an assault. The victim, a local 18-year-old man, was taken to Dorset County Hospital ...

Statistics show that one smoke alarm may not be enough to provide you with the best chance of escaping a fire in the home. Most people know that working smoke alarms save lives. They provide the vital early warning that allows for a safe escape a tragedy avoided. But, despite the majority of homes (95 per ...

Brewery Square played host to Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset at the outset of its tour around the county while its High Street premises is undergoing renovation works. Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset arrived at the Square on October 19 2018, until June 1 2019, and welcomed almost 10,000 visitors during its eight month tenure. With a year ...

Domestic abuse victims in Dorset will receive an enhanced service after an independent charity was awarded a major contract to support the county’s victims of crime. The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset has recommissioned Victim Support to run the service for another three years. The £1.6m contract, which starts on October 1, means ...

Weldmar Hospicecare launch ‘Make A Will Month’, offering a free Will writing service during October. Weldmar Hospicecare has launched their first ‘Make A Will Month’, taking place this October, where local people can take advantage of a free Will writing service with a number of local solicitors. It’s estimated that just over half of all adults in ...

With just less than a month to go until this year’s Dorset County Show, the organiser has unveiled the new main ring attraction for 2019. Dorchester Agricultural Society has revealed that for the first time this year, the main ring will host Jason Smyth, ex-world championship motocross rider, and his Adrenaline Tour which includes a performance ...

Fire crews from across the area were called to a grain dryer fire. Crews from Dorchester, Weymouth and Yeovil attended the incident this morning near to Piddlehinton. The fire was extinguished using 2 hose reel jets. There were no reports of injuries. This item was supplied by the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The site is part of the Join Our Dorset initiative, which sees the local NHS Trusts and councils working together to attract new recruits to Health and Social Care. The aim of the new microsite is to bring together all the information potential employees would need when searching for a new job, and give them a ...

Officers are appealing for the public’s help after dangerous drugs were stolen from a vet practice in Weymouth – almost three weeks after an identical break-in. At 2.24am today (Thursday 8 August 2019) Dorset Police was called to reports of a suspicious man in the garden of an address in Dorchester Road. Officers attended and discovered that ...

Brewery Square celebrates birthday with operatic evening! Brewery Square hosted its annual birthday celebrations on Wednesday, August 7, featuring The String Quartet and The Magic of Opera. Guests enjoyed complimentary canapes, prosecco and Pimms, as well as gin from Morrish & Banham’s Still On The Move mobile gin bar, providing its own blend of gin distilled on ...

The Coroner for Dorset is seeking the assistance of the public to find the next of kin of a man who died in Weymouth. Derek William Miles, who was 77 years old, died at his home in The Maltings on Saturday 3 August 2019. His death is not suspicious and no police investigation is needed into his ...

Dorset County Hospital are on the lookout for some more volunteers to join the Friends of DCH team. The Friends of Dorset County Hospital were founded in 1956 to provide comfort and help to patients at the old DCH, their relatives and friends. They also provide a service to patients and visitors, visiting the wards twice ...

If you are looking for something exciting and fun to do during the holidays that will suit all ages and you don’t want to break the bank then there are 2 great FREE music events taking place at Maumbury Rings in Dorchester which will be right up your street! ► The first is the Anonymous Festival, ...

Earlier this morning (Tuesday) a crew from Dorchester fire station were mobilised to an overhead power-line sparking over a field of straw stubble in Cerne Abbas. This was beginning to cause multiple seats of fire surrounding the power-line. Crews dealt with the fires from a safe distance until the lines were isolated by the power company and ...

Dorset Police releases results of 2019 firearms and ammunition surrender. 82 items were handed in to Dorset Police during the firearms and ammunition surrender which ran from 20 July – 4 August this year. The national campaign, instigated by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS), was supported by other forces around the country, including Devon & Cornwall ...

Detectives investigating the death of a man on Portland say a witness has come forward following an appeal. Officers were called to High Street, Fortuneswell, at 5.30am yesterday, Sunday 4 August, following a request from the ambulance service for assistance as they treated a man with a head injury. Sadly, the man – aged in his 50s ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging builders and contractors to ensure that their scaffolding is secure, following a recent incident. Firefighters were called when youths were seen on a roof in Dorset. Fortunately no rescue was required on this occasion. Group Manager Katie Cornhill said: “When we inspected the area, we established that access ...

Thousands of revellers gather for Music By The Lake with Weldmar Hospicecare at Kingston Maurward. Almost five thousand local people visited Kingston Maurward across the weekend for the first ‘Music By The Lake’ event, which has raised thousands of pounds for Weldmar Hospicecare. Organised jointly by Weldmar and Kingston Maurward, packed audiences enjoyed live music from Elton ...

Everyone is invited to Brewery Square’s birthday celebrations, taking place on Wednesday, August 7 at the £100 million development. An evening of opera and open-air theatre will from 5.30pm, and the schedule is as follows: • 5.30pm – enjoy the sounds of The String Quartet, and canapes and prosecco are available to purchase from Morris & Banham ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward following a fail-to-stop collision in Weymouth. At approximately 6.35am on Wednesday 24 July 2019 it was reported that a cyclist was involved in a collision with a red Honda Civic near to the Russell Hotel on The Esplanade. The cyclist, a local ...

Local school children from The Prince of Wales School have fought off competition from 42,000 other children to be winners in the 2019 Better Energy School Awards! The school’s entries ‘Together We Can Change The World’ and ‘What Shall We Do With All This Plastic?’ were jointly declared the Regional Winner in the ‘Totally Creative’ category ...

Don’t miss out on having your say on changes to dementia services. There’s just two weeks left to have your say on NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) review of the dementia pathway, which sets out proposed changes to improve services from the point of diagnosis to end of life care. Dr Paul French, CCG lead for ...

Four new recruits have joined Superfast Dorset’s army of Digital Champions. The latest volunteers mean Dorset’s councils can offer help with computers, tablets, smartphones and getting online at even more locations across the county. David Jones has over 30 years’ experience in IT and will be helping people at Charmouth library, near Lyme Regis. He said: “I ran ...

The roadside litter campaign was launched in Dorset last year aimed at people who throw their rubbish out of car windows. ‘Don’t be a TOS53R’ was designed to send a hard-hitting message to drivers and their passengers that our roads are not a network of litter bins – and that the owner of a vehicle ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward following an attempted burglary at a mobile phone repair shop in Dorchester. At approximately 4.30pm on Tuesday 23 July 2019 a staff member was serving a customer in Fix-It on South Street when they heard a noise coming from the stairs at the back of the shop. The staff ...

The Prince of Wales School in Dorchester said farewell to one of its longest serving Teaching Assistants with a very special assembly. Mrs Julie Webb has been a Senior Teaching Assistant at The Prince of Wales School in Maiden Castle Road, Dorchester for over twenty years. Julie, who is known for her artistic and culinary skills and ...

Home Start West Dorset is a charity working with families with a child under five, who are in need of practical help and emotional support. Helen Horsley, Manager of Home-Start West Dorset said “This year we are celebrating 10 years of helping local families, without volunteers we could not offer the service we do and make ...

A man has been sentenced after admitting causing a serious injury collision on the A354 Weymouth Relief Road. Ben Mykhal Holmes, 31 and of Lytton Road, Bournemouth, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 19 July 2019 after admitting careless driving. He was disqualified from driving for two years, handed a £650 fine and told he ...

A retired consultant from Dorset County Hospital has published a book recording the development of children’s medical services over the past half-century. Richard Purvis, 78, and originally from East Lothian in Scotland, worked at Dorset County Hospital as a Consultant Paediatrician for 40 years, starting in 1973. Full of fantastic photos and anecdotes, A History of Dorchester ...

Temperatures are set to hit up to 29c in Dorchester today (Tuesday) with overnight lows not set to fall below 18c. Dorset is currently at Level 2 on the Met Office Heat-health watch (issued at 0845). This is triggered as soon as the risk is 60% or above for threshold temperatures being reached in one or ...

Officers investigating the theft of a tractor from a farm near Blandford are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. The tractor was taken from a barn at a farm in the Spetisbury area in the early hours of Saturday 20 July 2019. The light blue tractor is a distinctive model, an 8210 Generation 3 ...

A report being presented to Dorset Council Cabinet on 30 July outlines its financial position and forecasts at the end of the first quarter of the financial year. Significant savings have been achieved over recent months as a result of Local Government Reorganisation. Despite this, the council is currently forecasting an overspend for this financial year ...

Last week Dorset council voted to support Safe Passage (Dorset), provided that the government fully funds the programme. Safe passage is calling upon every local authority across the country to commit to accepting a minimum of three unaccompanied or vulnerable refugee children per year every year for the next ten years. These will be children from ...

Officers are issuing an urgent warning to the public after offenders gained access to a veterinary practice in Weymouth and stole a quantity of dangerous drugs. At 8.27am today, Friday 19 July 2019, Dorset Police was called to reports of a burglary at Moorcroft Veterinary Practice in Dorchester Road. A cabinet that securely housed the practice’s dangerous ...

Officers investigating a burglary at a farm in West Dorset are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. The burglary occurred on the night of Wednesday 17 July 2019, sometime after 8.45pm at a farm in the Maiden Newton area. It was discovered this morning, Thursday 18 July 2019, that a green Honda quad bike has ...

This Saturday 20th July sees the Open Day at the Dorset Police, Winfrith, HQ. From 11am – 4pm we will be opening up Dorset Police HQ (DT2 8DZ) to the public! Come along and meet: Dog unit | Drone unit | Traffic unit | Safety camera team | Neighbourhood policing team | Firearms unit | ...

Local people are being given the chance to shape health and wellbeing services in Dorset. Local councils and NHS services are working together on a shared plan which sets out health and wellbeing priorities over the next few years. The plan will look at a variety of things that affect the health and wellbeing of residents ...

Harry Burton’s evocative photographs of the discovery of The Tomb of Tutankhamun are currently on show at The Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester. Tutankhamun’s Photographer is a special mini exhibition featuring a selection of gravure prints originally used in the book of an exhibition of Harry Burton’s famous photographs held in Chicago and New York. The ...

A Dorset sheep farmer has been prosecuted and fined after failing to adequately care for her animals and leaving dead sheep on her land. On 15 July 2019, at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court, Karen Harper (aged 51) of Charlton Marshall, near Blandford, Dorset, was today sentenced with a Community Order to carry out 180 hours of unpaid ...