News Archive

Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward following criminal damage to farmland near Dorchester. The damage is believed to have been caused by so called ‘nighthawkers’. Nighthawking is the theft of archaeological artefacts from land under the cover of darkness. Metal detectors are commonly used by trespassers. Over the weekend of Saturday 7 May and Sunday 8 ...

Officers investigating an assault in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. At around 9.15pm on Wednesday 11 May 2022 a man aged in his 50s was walking in Bayard Road when he saw a group of teenagers kicking a fence and went to challenge them about their behaviour. The man ...

Music lovers turned out en masse for The Occasional Singers Baroque Masterworks concert, recently held at St. Mary’s Church in Dorchester. The choir chose to support Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading charity specialising in finding preventions, treatments, and a cure for dementia, and raised £1,800 thanks to the generosity of those in attendance. The Occasional ...

West Dorset MP Chris Loder has urged Housing Secretary Michael Gove to instigate an urgent review of the Dorset Local Plan in order to discontinue the proposed 4,000 home North of Dorchester development proposal at a meeting in Dorchester on Friday afternoon. Having invited the Housing Secretary to Dorchester earlier this year, the MP met with ...

A single motorcyclist came of their bike whilst traveling along the B3157 Coast Road on Saturday afternoon (7th May) shortly after 2pm. It’s believed no other vehicles were involved in the incident which happened between Burton Bradstock and Swyre. A crew from South Western Ambulance Service were first on scene and requested further support from the ...

Carer Support Dorset, who support unpaid carers across the Dorset Council area, is celebrating today after being awarded £9,600 in funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK. Carer Support Dorset will use their funding to run a series of arts workshops across the county during Carers Week ...

Officers investigating an alleged assault in Dorchester are appealing for a witness to come forward as he may have important information. At 8.16am on Saturday 7 May 2022, Dorset Police received a report of a disturbance in the area close to North Square. It was reported that a man, who was on the floor, was being ...

The Coroner for Dorset is seeking the assistance of the public to find the next of kin of a woman who died in Weymouth. Rachael Jones, who was 42 years old, died at her home address in Lennox Street on Thursday 5 May 2022. Her death is not being treated as suspicious and no police investigation is ...

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is holding its ever-popular Coast to Coast (C2C) Cycle Challenge on Sunday 15th May 2022 and is hoping that the public will come out in support of those taking part. The event, which is not a race, involves cycling through some of Dorset and Somerset’s most beautiful countryside. With a mixture ...

Dorset HealthCare has a new face in charge, after making Dawn Dawson its Acting Chief Executive. Dawn, the Trust’s Director of Nursing, Therapies and Quality, has taken over the reins from Eugine Yafele, who has left to take up a new role in Bristol after more than three years at the helm. The Trust – which provides ...

Two direct trains per hour will once again run between Weymouth and London Waterloo, following the introduction of South Western Railway’s (SWR) new timetable on Sunday 15th May. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic one train per hour has run on the route to reflect the reduced number of people travelling by rail, but SWR ...

Officers investigating an assault in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. A man and woman were walking with their dog in Abbotsbury Road at around 8.15pm on Sunday 1 May 2022 when they became involved in a verbal exchange with two female teenagers. A short time later, the couple were ...

A Dorchester-born actor is returning to his hometown next week for a special screening of his latest movie – dubbed by one newspaper ‘the film Putin doesn’t want you to see’. Former Thomas Hardye School pupil Tom Prior, who has previously appeared in films including Kingsman: The Secret Service and Oscar-nominated The Theory of Everything, is ...

Officers from Weymouth & Portland Police and a crew from South Western Ambulance have been dealing with a road traffic collision on the A354 at Fortuneswell, Portland. The road was closed for a number of hours whilst emergency services dealt with the situation, which involved two cars around the Hambro Road area. The incident occurred shortly after ...

Dorset Police is pledging its commitment to involve and communicate with residents to bolster its neighbourhood approach to policing. The Force has renewed its local plans under the Neighbourhood Engagement Commitment (NEC) initiative so communities can communicate as effectively as possible with their local neighbourhood team. The NEC establishes minimum standards and common objectives that each ...

The Litter Free Dorset Challenge has returned this May. Over the course of the month, 177 Dorset residents will be taking part in litter picking challenges of their choosing, working to clean up their local areas prior to the summer season. This year’s challenge will see people of all ages taking part. 70% of participants have ...

Exeter-based Jurassic Fibre has revealed that two new South West locations on their network roll out have gone live. Residents and businesses in Crediton and Dorchester, now have the opportunity to receive full fibre connectivity, offering internet speeds of up to 950Mbps for homes and 10Gbps for businesses via their Dedicated Internet Access product. And the ...

A man who violently assaulted a woman at an address in Weymouth has been jailed. Saul Samuel Randall, aged 23 and of Weymouth, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 22 April 2022 to seven years in prison for offences of inflicting grievous bodily harm, affray and assault by beating as well as a charge ...

Two teenagers are due to appear in court in connection with a reported robbery in Weymouth. Dorset Police received a call at 4.43am on Wednesday 27 April 2022 relating to an alleged robbery at the junction of Knightsdale Road and Newstead Road, near to The Marsh playing fields. The victim, a man aged in his 20s, ...

Dorset Council report that they will be working with local partners and contractors on the urgent placement of rock protection around the southernmost point of the Chesil Cove Seawall, at Chiswell in Portland, during May 2022. Following a recent assessment, it was discovered that the wall in this area requires urgent attention. The planned rock protection ...

Officers investigating a serious injury collision in Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward. Dorset Police received a report at 5.10pm on Tuesday 26 April 2022 of a collision involving a silver Vauxhall Meriva and a red Land Rover on the A37 Dorchester bypass near to Monkeys Jump roundabout. The ...

A star object from the Victoria and Albert Museums collection is due to go on display in a new exhibition being held at Dorset Museum. Hardy’s Wessex – The Landscapes which Inspired a Writer, running from 28th May 2022 until 30th October 2022, is a partnership exhibition which spans Dorset, Poole, Salisbury and Wiltshire museums. It ...

Public Health Dorset have recently updated the way they report the latest local COVID-19 situation on their dashboard. Data from the ONS infection survey is now used which estimates the number of people currently testing positive. The survey shows that the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus in England has decreased, with an estimate of ...

Local MP, Richard Drax, has voiced his support for a new children’s home in Weymouth during a visit to the Harbour children’s residential hub at Dorchester Road. The Harbour is based on an approach used in North Yorkshire which brings different professionals together in one place to work with young people on the edge of care, ...

Officers have arrested a man following a report of theft from a jewellery store in Dorchester. At around 2.45pm on Wednesday 19 January 2022 it is alleged that two men entered Dorchester Jewellers at Cornhill and stole a nine-carat 18-inch yellow gold curb chain valued at £1,200. Following a CCTV appeal, a man aged in his 30s ...

Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has opened a new Outpatient Therapies Centre in Charlton Down. The centre, on Sherren Avenue, hosts a variety of physiotherapy services, including musculoskeletal, respiratory and pelvic health, as well as speech and language therapy. Over the last two years, teams have been operating from their Weymouth base as well as temporary locations in ...

On April 16th the Pavilion in the Park, which opened in the middle of lockdown a year ago, celebrated its first birthday and organisers can’t believe either how quickly the year has gone or how many lovely things have happened there during that time. They have put together a photo video reminder, do take a ...

Earth Day is fast approaching! Dorchester will be marking the day on the on the 23rd April 12noon – 4pm on the Great Field, Poundbury. Earth Day is a global cause, where around the world, including in Dorchester, people will be celebrating those who are making a difference – questioning current ways and finding solutions ...

Music lovers won’t want to miss The Occasional Singers Baroque Masterworks concert at St. Mary’s Church in Dorchester, on Saturday 30th April. Entrance is FREE and there will be a retiring collection for Alzheimer’s Research UK. The concert will begin at 7.30 pm. The Occasional Singers present a concert of short Baroque masterworks for voices, oboe ...

Firefighters have managed to save a property in Dorset following a garage fire at the address. Firefighters were called to the address at 7.15am on the 17th April 2022. On arrival crews found a garage well alight. They used three hose reels, two main lines and eight sets of breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire which ...

Officers investigating the theft of items from a supermarket in Dorchester are issuing a CCTV image of the suspect in a bid to identify her. At around 11.30am on Thursday 3 February 2022 a woman entered Waitrose in the Tudor Arcade and placed a quantity of alcohol and household items into a trolley. The woman reportedly made ...

An unauthorised gathering of people in the East Lulworth area has been dispersed. The incident was first reported to police at 12.36am on Sunday 17 April 2022. It was believed that about 1000 people were attending the event with a large number of vehicles seen travelling through the area. Throughout the night and day police supported by ...

With spring on the way, Dorset Council’s annual road investment programme is hotting up! Proactive road maintenance activity intensifies in the spring due to many road treatments needing dry and/or warm weather. In Dorset, this work then moves away from busy tourist areas before the start of the summer season. This financial year, the Department for Transport ...

Dorset Council is delighted to share that we have a workable plan to keep Redlands Community Sports Hub in Weymouth open – which includes all the buildings. Cllr Laura Miller, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer and Community Services, said: “The easiest option would have been for Dorset Council to allow the buildings at Redlands to be ...

This March-April time has seen Dorset residents come together to take part in local litter picking and beach cleaning activities, helping to spruce up our streets, green spaces and beaches prior to the summer season. Litter Free Dorset – Land, Coast and Sea’s annual Great Dorset Beach Clean took place between 2nd-10th April with 14 beach ...

Local chap Ben Sloyan, a member of Casterbridge Speakers, has won the International Speech Contest at Divisional level on April 2nd, beating speakers from across the south of England. Following his success Ben will now compete at National finals in May in the International Speech competition, and then hopefully the World Championships. This on-line contest, which ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward following a fatal collision in Bridport. Dorset Police was called at 5.22am on Tuesday 12 April 2022 to reports of a serious injury road traffic collision on the A35 near to the Miles Cross junction involving a HGV lorry, white Mercedes Sprinter van ...

Last night (Monday 11th April 2022) at approximately 7.45PM, a fire crew from Dorchester and a crew from Beaminster were called to reports of a property fire in the Warmwell/Crossways area. Due to the size and nature of the fire, the crews on scene requested further assistance from an additional crew. Firefighters extinguished the fire using ...

The Jack and Phyl Cleare was gifted to RNLI Weymouth with a legacy from Phyl Cleare and is the sixth lifeboat to have been donated by the couple. The first was a relief boat in 1990 followed by three more for Swanage and this second one for Weymouth. Chrissie Payne, Chair of the Lifeboat Management Group, ...

Dorset Museum had a busy day on Thursday 7th April 2022 with award wins in both the South West Tourism Awards and the Dorchester and Poundbury Business Awards. After their Silver Award in the Dorset Tourism Awards, Dorset Museum has received the Bronze Award in the ‘Large Visitor Attraction of the Year’ category at the South ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has joined forces with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) to support the first national Biker Down safety campaign, which runs between 11-17 April. Biker Down is a free three-hour course that provides practical and potentially lifesaving advice. It gives riders an awareness of what to do if they ...

A former Dorset Police officer has been found guilty of gross misconduct after he was jailed for a fraud offence. A misconduct hearing was held at Dorset Police Headquarters in Winfrith on Monday 11 April 2022 to consider the allegations against former Police Constable Matthew Littlefair, who was sentenced on Wednesday 3 November 2021 to two ...

With the Easter Bank Holiday on the horizon, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution is encouraging customers in Dorset to ‘think before they dig’, if they’re working in the garden or on outdoor DIY projects. As springtime and the first Bank holiday weekend of the year is traditionally a busier time for people working on ...

Newly installed solar panels at two of Dorset Council’s waste depots are already producing over 200,000 kWh of renewable energy each year and providing most of each building’s power needs. As part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) which saw the Council awarded £19m of central government funding by Salix to make publicly owned buildings ...

The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list, South-West, published on 8th April, shows Bridport as being number two just behind the winner, Chalke Valley in Wiltshire, with Sherborne placed  seventh. The Sunday Times’s expert judges behind the guide assess a wide range of factors, from schools, transport and broadband to culture, green spaces and the ...

The Coroner for Dorset is seeking the assistance of the public to find the next of kin of a man who lived in Dorchester. Graham Ferguson, who was 83 years old, died at his home address in Maen Gardens on Monday 4 April 2022. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Coroner’s Officer Ken McEwan said: “We ...

As part of the council’s proposals for redevelopment of the former Weymouth Bowl site in St Nicholas St, an archaeological dig is due to take place later this month. Dorset Council acquired the leasehold interest in the former Weymouth Bowl site in January this year and has commissioned archaeology specialists Context One Heritage & Archaeology, to ...

‘Help: Your Health, Your Community’ is the title of an event coming to Dorchester’s Corn Exchange on 4th May 2022. The event is a day of workshops and talks to stimulate discussion on social prescribing in Dorchester for both professionals and self-help groups and is completely free to attend, being sponsored by the Fine Foundation. One ...

Officers investigating an alleged assault in Dorchester have made an arrest. Dorset Police received a report at 8.22pm on Thursday 17 March 2022 relating to a group of around 10 young people involved in anti-social behaviour in the area of Pummery Square in Poundbury. It was reported that they were smashing bottles and throwing stones at ...

Officers continuing to investigate a road traffic collision near Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Dorset Police received a report shortly after 6am on Sunday 20 March 2022 that a black Renault Clio that was believed to have been involved in a single vehicle collision had been found unoccupied partially ...

Officers searching for a man who had gone missing in Weymouth have very sadly found a body. Sean Bower, 26, had been reported missing on Friday 1 April 2022. During the morning of Saturday 2 April 2022, the body of a man was discovered in Springfield Crescent Cemetery. While formal identification is yet to take place, Sean’s next ...

Campaigners against a new oil well near Puddletown in Dorset have told KeeP 106 that they are celebrating after the applicant withdrew their application. The site just north of Athelhampton had been proposed by South Western Energy Ltd for 20 years of oil production which, according to objectors, would have released millions of tonnes of carbon ...

Public Health Dorset report that confirmed cases of COVID-19 remain very high across Dorset. We’ve also seen the number of people with COVID-19 in hospitals continue to rise up to 254 from 182. The public are asked to continue to take steps to reduce the spread of the virus, including self-isolating if you develop covid symptoms ...

The Governors of Bryanston have confirmed the appointment of Richard Jones as the new Head of the School following a rigorous selection process and with immediate effect. He becomes the ninth Head of the Dorset school which is renowned for its success in creative thinking and providing an inspirational environment for developing the confidence, strength ...

Dorset Council and Dorset County Hospital have agreed a 20-year lease for use of South Walks House building in Dorchester, owned by the council. Dorset County Hospital will use South Walks House for a combination of clinical and office purposes, providing a central and easily accessible location and enabling the hospital to maximise the use of ...

Campaigners opposed to plans to build 4,000 houses on green fields north of Dorchester are organising a protest march through the town centre on Saturday, April 2nd. And to highlight the threat to the town’s cultural legacy, they are recreating one of Thomas Hardy’s most memorable scenes – the Skimmity Ride from The Mayor of Casterbridge. ...

Officers investigating an assault in Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Dorset Police received a report at 8.22pm on Thursday 17 March 2022 relating to a group of around 10 young people involved in anti-social behaviour in the area of Pummery Square in Poundbury. It was reported that they were ...

Officers searching for a man who went missing in Dorchester are pleased to confirm he has been found safe and well. Peter Bush was last seen at around 1pm on Monday 28 March 2022 in the town. Following enquiries and searches by officers, Peter was located. We would like to thank everyone who shared our appeal and ...

Earth Day is a positive event celebrating what is already being done to help the environment and looking at what we can do next! Join us on the 23rd of April, 12noon – 4pm at The Great Field, Poundbury. The event will be during the school Easter holidays and is a perfect for families looking ...

Fire crews from across our area have been dealing with a fire in a holiday park this morning (28th March 2022). Two crews from Dorchester and two from Weymouth were in attendance and used 3 main jets, 2 hose reel jets and a light portable pump to extinguish the fire, which was at the Warmwell Holiday ...