News Archive

The school will be celebrating the completion of its new ‘Hardye Rooms’ dining and conferencing facilities at the Thomas Hardye Ball on Saturday 6th July 2019, 7pm until late. All tickets are available from the school reception with cash or cheque (made payable to The Thomas Hardye School). We expect a lot of interest in ...

A man is due to appear in court in connection with a reported burglary in Weymouth. It was reported that between 1am and 6am on Thursday 16 August 2018 a burglary occurred at a property in Brownlow Street while the occupants were asleep upstairs. Entry was reportedly gained through an insecure ground floor window and an Acer ...

The first election to the brand new Dorset Council is taking place tomorrow (Thursday 2 May). Town and parish council elections are also taking place in the Dorset area on the same day. If you are registered to vote, this is your opportunity to influence who will represent you on the new council and make ...

Officers investigating a serious injury road traffic collision in Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward. Dorset Police received a report at 8.21pm on Tuesday 30 April 2019 of a two vehicle road traffic collision at the traffic light junction of Kings Road and London Road. The collision involved an ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue are currently dealing with a fire near to Puddletown this evening (Tuesday). Listeners have been reporting to Keep 106 a ‘large fire with big plumes of black smoke’ near to the village on farm land. The fire service have told Keep 106 that the fire involve a tractor. The smoke can be ...

Dorchester Lions are busy organising their annual charity timed 10k and 2k Fun Runs, to be held on the morning of Sunday 5th. May, starting from the Dorchester Middle School at 10.30 a.m. This is the 37th year of the Fun Run and in that time over £250,000 has been raised for local charities and good ...

Wessex Water is helping WaterSafe pull the plug on water wastage by encouraging Dorset homeowners to fix leaky taps – potentially saving thousands of litres of water. Ignoring the drip, drip, drip of a leaky tap could mean you’re wasting up to 5,500 litres of water a year and adding to your bill if you’re a ...

The most outstanding individuals and institutions that the education sector has to offer have been recognised in the shortlist for the Tes Schools Awards 2019. It’s been revealed that Damers First School has been shortlisted for the Sustainable Schools award for the second year in a row! Tes editor Ann Mroz said: “It is wonderful to see ...

A lorry driver has been jailed in relation to a collision that caused the death of a young boy at a pedestrian crossing in Wareham. Dean Boyd Phoenix, aged 44 and of Cibbons Road, Chineham in Hampshire, was sentenced on Friday 26 April 2019 at Bournemouth Crown Court for an offence of causing death by careless ...

The Prince of Wales School in Dorchester has become one of the first schools in the country to offer a more eco-friendly school uniform as part of its commitment to the Plastic Free Dorchester Campaign. The uniform is inspired by the school’s Green Flag Eco-School status and is made in part from recycled plastic bottles. Headteacher Mr. ...

NHS services in Dorset are currently experiencing significant levels of demand. The public are being urged to choose the right care to ensure they receive the most appropriate treatment and to help reduce unnecessary pressures. Pharmacies offer a lot more than just a place to collect a prescription – they can advise you on how to ...

On Sunday 14th April, Thomas Hardye School maths teachers Melanie Orchard and Sally Miller took to the streets to take part in the Brighton marathon. This was Mel’s first marathon, having only completed half marathons before. They began their training in October, regularly running with the Dorchester RIOT group and completing long runs at the weekend in ...

Officers searching for missing Bere Regis man Danny Green are pleased to confirm he has been located. Dorset Police received a call at 3.56pm on Monday 22 April 2019 reporting concern for the welfare of Danny, aged 33, who was believed to have been in the Lulworth or Swanage areas of Purbeck. Police have told Keep 106 ...

The Magpies ended today’s Easter Monday game 6-0 against Tiverton Town! It was a quick start for the team as Tom Blair gave Dorchester the lead at just 3 minutes into the game. It was followed by Luke Winsper at 16″. There was a flurry of goals on the second half including the first goal for the ...

An unauthorised gathering of people has been taking place across two fields at Wytch in Corfe Castle, near Wareham. We were first called at 12.18am on Sunday 21 April 2019 with reports that in excess of 1,000 people had attended and there were a large number of vehicles travelling through the area. Officers have been at the ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward after a fatal collision near Blandford. At 8.27pm on Sunday 21 April 2019 a road traffic collision occurred on the A357 at Durweston involving an orange Suzuki Swift and a grey Kawasaki motorcycle. Very sadly the rider of the motorcycle – a 22-year-old man from Sturminster Newton – died ...

Officers investigating a commercial burglary near Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. At 10.39pm on Sunday 14 April 2019 a security alarm was activated at OHE Horticultural Limited on the A352 Wareham Road between Broadmayne and Wool as intruders had gained access to the property. Officers attended, searched the area and ...

Officers investigating a fatal road traffic collision on the A31 near Bere Regis are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information to come forward. Dorset Police was informed of the incident by the ambulance service at 11.08am on Thursday 18 April 2019. The collision happened at the turn-off to Winterborne Kingston and involved a green DAF Trucks ...

Dorset Highways will be starting work next week to provide safer access into Borough Gardens from Princes Street. From Tuesday 23 April, for five weeks, there will be some traffic restrictions while the entrance to Princes Street is narrowed at its junction with Albert Road and a new raised table is installed. The new raised section of ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding the operators of both industrial and agricultural buildings to manage any gas cylinders on site properly and safely. The Service has dealt with a number of fires so far this year involving barns and storage sheds containing gas cylinders. Station Manager Graham Kewley, from the Fire Safety Team, ...

Today (Tuesday 16 April), parents across the county find out which primary, first, middle or junior school their child will go to in September. In Dorset, 95% of parents are receiving the good news that their child has a place at their first preference. This includes places for children starting school for the first time in ...

Officers investigating the theft of livestock from farm land near Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. The incident happened between Friday 22 March 2019 and Monday 8 April 2019 on fields along the A37 near Dorchester where 211 sheep were stolen, which are mainly Suffolk, Texan and cross breeds. Each sheep ...

A crew from Dorchester was mobilised to alarms sounding at a Domestic property in Church Street Dorchester. The attending crew arrived on scene within four minutes of booking mobile to the incident and confirmed the alarm was caused by a pan being left on a stove overnight which has since been removed by the property management ...

Public Health Dorset along with partners are encouraging people across Dorset, Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch to get outside in May as part of Naturally Healthy Month. Naturally Healthy Month is happening across the south west and encourages people to get outside to improve their wellbeing through being in nature. Spending time outside is not only fun but ...

The Prince of Wales School have announced that their new community defibrillator is fully installed and working. Senior Teaching Assistant with responsibility for medical care, Mrs. Emma Hibberd explains, “We are delighted to work with SADS UK (Sudden Adult Death Trust) to organise a IPAD Automated External Defibrillator and key code lock cabinet to be installed ...

Brewery Square’s Dray horse will be decorated with a purple poppy wreath, in honour of the animals that served during World War One. The Purple Poppy Day initiative is looking for volunteers to knit poppies that will be sold during this year’s armistice memorials. Purple poppies symbolise memory and respect for the animals who were killed ...

Officers searching for missing man Marcus Williams are pleased to say he has been found. The 41-year-old went missing from an address in Everest Road in Weymouth just before 6am today, Friday 12 April 2019, and was said to be in an upset state. He was located in Weymouth by officers, assisted by the NPAS ...

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is asking farmers to ‘Look out, Look up!’ as it launches its annual safety campaign to raise awareness of the possible dangers of working near overhead power lines and poles. As farmers and contractors embark on the start of some of the agricultural industry’s busiest months, the electricity network operator ...

Officers investigating a reported dangerous driving incident near Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward. The incident is alleged to have occurred at around 2.45pm on Monday 8 April 2019 in the area of the Warmwell roundabout. A white Ford Transit van is reported to have approached the roundabout from ...

Officers investigating a suspected arson in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Dorset Police was alerted by the fire service at 5.40am on Friday 5 April 2019 to reports of a fire at The Prayer House in Newstead Road. The fire was extinguished and there were no reports of any injuries. Following ...

Officers investigating a reported dangerous driving incident in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward. At around 5.35pm on Monday 8 April 2019 officers attempted to stop a silver Vauxhall Vectra in the area of Spa Road. It was reported that the vehicle made off from officers toward Dorchester Road. The ...

Officers are warning businesses and members of the public to be vigilant following a number of reports of attempts to use counterfeit notes. Since the start of the year, Dorset Police has received more than 40 reports of incidents involving suspected counterfeit notes across the county. The offences tend to involve individuals paying for small value items ...

Police launch competition to tackle road collision delays with £200k on offer for innovative solution to reducing investigation time by 50%. The Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) for Devon and Cornwall and for Dorset, have been working with the Alliance Roads Policing Team to launch a nationwide competition to find innovative solutions to reduce the amount ...

Some of you may have noticed this week, that the wonderful fountains are back on in Brewery Square! Families are welcome to enjoy all that Brewery Square have to offer, including their wonderful eateries, shops, hotel, cinema and fountains, but they are reminding visitors to please be respectful of the area. This includes reading and ...

UPDATE 9th April 2019: Police say the colour of the Ford Focus is silver, not blue as previously stated. Officers investigating a road traffic collision near Sherborne are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward. At around 5.55am on Friday 5 April 2019 a two-vehicle road traffic collision occurred on the A352 ...

The Easter holidays in Dorset are under way and as the days grow longer and the evenings lighter, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is urging people to play safe near power lines and electrical equipment across the region. This follows a recent incident, where a kite became tangled in overhead power lines, resulting in an ...

Last year, Weymouth and Portland’s management committee agreed funding for improved toilet facilities in central Weymouth. These facilities will be a conversion of the ground floor area of the existing Beach Office. To maximise the amount of available space, works will also include an extension to the Beach Office at first floor level. They will also ...

Smoking is the biggest cause of fire in the home Smokers are being warned that they must wake up to the deadly dangers of smoking – especially when tired – as Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service part of the Fire Kills campaign, highlights that cigarettes and other smoking products cause just over a third ...

Residents will start to see the new Dorset Council logo gradually appearing on taxi and private hire vehicle licence plates. The change is being phased in as the vehicle licences are renewed, so licence plates showing details of our former councils remain valid until the expiry date shown on the licence plate. Graham Duggan, Dorset Council Head ...

Residents across Dorset are taking to the streets to help crack down on speeding motorists in their neighbourhoods. The Community Speed Watch scheme, which allows members of the public to monitor motorists’ driving behaviour in their area and pass on details to the police, continues to grow across the county. The scheme, overseen by Dorset Police, means ...

A second man has been arrested in connection with a reported serious assault in Dorchester. At around 3.30am on Wednesday 30 January 2019 Dorset Police received a report of a disturbance involving a group of men and women near to the Shell petrol station in London Road. It was reported that two men were assaulted with a ...

A man involved in a serious road traffic collision near Dorchester has sadly died from his injuries. Dorset Police was called at 10.19pm on Wednesday 20 March 2019 to reports of a single vehicle collision on the A352 Old Sherborne Road near to Herrison Road involving a black Mini. A 66-year-old man from Sherborne sustained serious life-threatening ...

Work to maintain the surface of Weymouth Relief road is set to start on Sunday (7 April) for 5 nights. The A354 will be closed from 9pm until 6 the following morning to allow workers to apply a treatment to the surface to prevent degradation and water ingress. Closures will effect traffic in both directions between 2100 ...

For 28 incredible years, Larmer Tree Festival has been throwing the ultimate family-friendly summer party in the heart of the Wiltshire/Dorset countryside, hosting an eclectic line-up of music, comedy, theatre, arts and crafts workshops, and much more. This year will be no different. Children’s BBC star Andy Day (Andy’s Wild Adventures, among other well-loved TV shows) ...

Detectives investigating a reported robbery in Weymouth are appealing for any witnesses to come forward. The incident occurred at around 10.45am on Saturday 30 March 2019 outside the Sports Direct store at the Jubilee Retail Park. The female victim reported seeing a disturbance outside the store involving members of the public and staff. An altercation then occurred ...

Four candidates are standing in Weymouth as part of the Alliance for Local Living (ALL for Dorset) independent ticket in the forthcoming unitary and town council elections. Luke Wakeling will be standing in the Rodwell and Wyke unitary seat and the Weymouth East constituency for the new town council. John Worth will be campaigning to keep his ...

Over 200 knives and bladed items were handed in to police during the week-long knife amnesty held in Dorset earlier this month. The amnesty was part of the ongoing national knife crime reduction initiative Operation Sceptre and ran from 11 – 17 March 2019. All of the knives and other items surrendered anonymously will be destroyed and ...

Officers searching for missing Bridport woman Julie Wright are pleased to confirm she has been located. Julie, aged 52, was reported missing having last been seen at an address in the town at around 1pm today, Monday 1 April 2019. Following searches by officers with support from DorSAR (Dorset Search and Rescue), she has now ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward following a fatal collision in North Dorset. At 8.57am today, Monday 1 April 2019, officers were called to reports of a two vehicle collision on Ram’s Hill near Sturminster Newton involving a silver Peugeot Boxer panel van and a grey Nissan. Very sadly and despite the best efforts of ...

7th to the 13th April is FND awareness week around the world. This year the project, set up by FND Hope UK, to raise awareness and fundraise, is for people do a sponsored wheel so that together we travel the distance around the world on wheels! This can be done in a wheelchair, mobility vehicle, roller blades, ...

Today is the day that Dorset Council goes live and we serve residents across the county as one organisation. Dorset Council replaces the existing district and borough councils (East Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, West Dorset, Weymouth & Portland) and Dorset County Council. This brings together almost 5,000 employees, plus colleagues in education, making over 8,000 in ...

The Prince of Wales School in Dorchester, Dorset has become the very first school in the region to gain the prestigious ‘Social School Award’. The Social School Award is a certified quality mark to recognise a school for the way it uses social media to connect, promote and engage with parents/carers and the wider whole-school community. The ...

A new project aimed at engaging, sharing and recording memories of people living with dementia is coming to Dorset County Hospital. By using themed boxes full of wonderful items, smells, sounds and pictures, The Memory Box Project aims to ignite the senses of lost or forgotten memories, and thereby encouraging patients to communicate and share thoughts, ...

Dorset’s own media charity, Windrose Rural Media Trust, is celebrating its 35th year. Amongst its many media projects it has, throughout that time, been generating an archive of old cine films of local life to enable them to be seen again by the community. The moving images from this now major archive are ...

Local businesses and employees in Dorset are being asked to give an hour of their time next week as part of national charity Education and Employers’ Inspiring the Future campaign. The aim is to connect more young people with the world of work by broadening their horizons, challenging stereotypes, and raising aspirations by helping them understand ...

This year, The Great British Spring clean campaign, which runs from March 22nd to April 23rd, will see up to half a million people taking action to clean up streets, parks and beaches across the country. The Great British Spring Clean brings together individuals, community organisations, businesses and councils to make a difference to the environment ...

Officers searching for missing Robert McAvoy from Bovington have sadly found the body of a man. Robert, 39, was reported missing at 6.21pm on Monday 25 March 2019. A search of the area was carried out into the night. Very sadly, the body of a man was discovered in a remote area near Crossways. Although the body is ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information following a serious road traffic collision near Dorchester. At 4.19pm on Monday 25 March 2019, officers were called to the incident involving a silver Suzuki Jimny car and a red Kawasaki motorcycle on the A35 near Long Bredy. The motorcycle rider, a man in his 50s and from ...

Police have placed a cordon around the Weymouth esplanade whilst experts deal with a suspicious item. Police were informed of a suspicious item that ‘has a weathered look’. The army explosive ordnance disposal team have been notified and have been in attendance. A 100 meter cordon remains in place whilst this is investigated. Police are requesting members of ...

Dorset HealthCare is celebrating the 10 year anniversary of its popular and ever-growing Steps to Wellbeing mental health service. More than 200 members of staff and former patients packed the main hall at Merley House near Wimborne to mark the occasion with a special event. Hosted by Steps Lead Claire Hurley and the Trust’s Mental Health and ...