News Archive

The Dorset & Wiltshire Fire control room received a call at 08:08 this morning about a potential dangerous structure on Bridport Road, in Dorchester A crew from Dorchester fire station were mobilised and found a window on the first floor of a property, above the retail units, hanging off by a hinge. Due to the nature ...

Officers in Dorchester are appealing for anyone with information to come forward following a spate of criminal damage. Three incidents occurred on the night of Wednesday 19 August into the morning of Thursday 20 August 2020. Three vehicles were damaged on the forecourt of Westerly BMW in Prince of Wales Road. Damage was caused to a windscreen, ...

Officers are appealing for information following a burglary at a charity premises in Dorchester. Shortly after 6am on Tuesday 18 August 2020 Dorset Police received a report of a burglary at the British Red Cross on Parkway Farm Business Park in Poundbury. The break-in is believed to have occurred around 11.55pm on Monday 17 August 2020. A ...

Dorset is now home of MOXSE, the world’s first ever handmade adapted hooded towel. They have developed two hooded towels that are both made entirely out of organic cotton, down to the threads and labels. MOXSE was started by Rosie and Isla during lockdown, to provide sustainable adventure gear that makes it easier for more ...

Officers investigating a fatal road traffic collision near Blandford are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward. Dorset Police received a report at 4.30pm on Tuesday 18 August 2020 of a two vehicle collision on the A354 near Thornicombe south of Blandford. The collision involved a purple Peugeot 107 and a ...

Local partners have today launched a survey to get people’s views on mental health services within their communities. The survey is open to anyone aged 16 or over and asks people what they think is good about services, what could be improved and what ideas or hopes they would have for services in the future. Dr Sudipto ...

A new strategy that aims to provide a route for sustainable aquaculture development across Dorset has been launched this week. The Dorset Sustainable Mariculture Strategy has been written by Dorset Coast Forum (DCF) following extensive consultation with stakeholders in the county. Dorset already has a thriving aquaculture industry and Poole Harbour produces the largest volume of ...

After a rapid increase in demand for mental health services across the county during recent years Dorset Mind recognised the importance of storing its data required to run its service safely and securely. Working with over 30,000 people, the charity successfully applied for £28,000 worth of funding from Talbot Village Trust towards the implementation of a ...

Clinicians at Dorset County Hospital are asking local residents to register their support for the first phase of plans to expand key clinical facilities on the Dorchester site. The plans include the expansion of the Emergency Department (ED) and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as well as the establishment of an Integrated Care Hub as part of a ...

Hundreds of children and young people with complex physical and learning disabilities will be able to take a break during the school holidays, thanks to a grant from Dorset Freemasons to the Diverse Abilities charity’s Coping with CHAOS programme. Children with complex disabilities tend to be excluded from other holiday activities due to unwelcoming attitudes, parents’ ...

Joint statement from IRONMAN, Weymouth Town Council and Dorset Council. With the health and safety of our community being an utmost priority, and after further discussions with and direction from Weymouth Town Council and Dorset Council in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to confirm that the IRONMAN 70.3 Weymouth triathlon originally scheduled for Sunday ...

Best wishes to everyone who recieved their A Level results in Dorset today! Congratulations to all students for their hard work and resilience during the pandemic. Advice on education, work and training, including information for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), is available for anyone unsure of their next step. Advice and emotional ...

Families can explore SafeWise’s learning village and complete a quiz as part of a new virtual Junior Safety Inspector tour this summer. After completing the tour children can download a certificate and discover bonus material bursting with extra activities and loads more fun things to do this summer all based on the tour. As well as essential ...

Nearly 2,700 people have given their views on anti social behaviour in Dorset as a major survey into the issue reaches its halfway point. The survey, launched last month by Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill, seeks to find out more about residents’ experiences of anti social behaviour, how much of a problem they think ...

During the afternoon of Saturday 8th August Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service responded to reports of an unattended Camp Fire in Wareham Forest. Appliances and crews from Bere Regis and Wareham rushed to the incident which had been  reported at 13:45 and dealt with the fire safely. A quote from the Fire Service read: “People of Dorset ...

Visitors and local residents alike are reminded to take their rubbish home with them, respect social distancing rules and not to use disposable barbecues, in an effort to protect Dorset for everyone. During the summer months some of the area’s beauty spots and beaches become extremely busy. Local residents and tourists are encouraged to act responsibly ...

MP Chris Loder says a Government announcement on the 5th August of yet another major investment in West Dorset schools is “brilliant news for local education and proves that a strong voice in Westminster gets results”. Speaking in the House of Commons last month, Chris Loder said West Dorset needed to receive its “fair share of ...

Officers searching for a woman who went missing from Dorchester have very sadly found a body. Laura Dodon, 43, was reported missing on Monday 27 July 2020 after failing to contact her family. She had last been seen by family members in Weymouth on Tuesday 21 July 2020. As part of ongoing searches, officers discovered a body ...

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) would like to remind the public to stay vigilant as the South of England is set to experience an Amber wildfire risk over the weekend. This alert means that, should a wildfire be experienced, it could spread quickly and easily due to the dry and windy conditions. As ...

With possession hearings due to restart on 23 August, Dorset Council is urging people struggling to pay their mortgage or rent to seek help as soon as possible. When lockdown started, some people were unable to earn a full salary. Many were furloughed on 80% of their wages, with not enough money to cover rent or ...

Kingston Maurward College has been selected for £3.5 million worth of funding, part of the Government’s £900 million ‘Getting Building Fund’. West Dorset MP Chris Loder told KeeP 106: “Government is investing in West Dorset’s community and rural economy”, with the news that Kingston Maurward College in Dorchester has been selected as one of 300 projects ...

Dorset Council’s annual accounts for its first operating year have been published today (Monday 3 August). The accounts show the council’s spending over the 2019/20 financial year, as well as the income it has received from various services and funding sources. In its first year of operation Dorset Council carried the costs of merging six councils into ...

Dorset Police Chief Constable James Vaughan is delighted to announce the appointment of a new Deputy Chief Constable to the Force. Scott Chilton was successfully selected on Tuesday 28 July 2020 following an appointment process chaired by Chief Constable James Vaughan, supported by the Chief Executive of Dorset Council Matthew Prosser and Gloucestershire Constabulary HR lead ...

A team who has delivered nearly 3,000 learning tutorials and created a series of countywide digital networking events over the past year has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award. The digital team at Dorset Council are one of the finalists in the ‘Digital Public Service Innovation of the Year’ category of the Digital Leaders 100 ...

Over the last two years 11 barn owl boxes have been installed in trees and barns on Dorset Council farms. Now 25 per cent of Dorset Council farms have an owl box. When the boxes were checked last month A total number of six chicks were found in four boxes. Barn Owls have additional protection against disturbance ...

Officers carrying out enquiries to locate a man who went missing in the water off Portland are sad to confirm that a body has been located. Dorset Police was called at 10.21pm on Sunday 19 July 2020 to reports a man had entered the water near the area of Church Ope Cove. Searches were carried out ...

A former patient from Dorchester is raising money for the Friends of Dorset County Hospital after they left a lasting impression during her four-month stay at the Trust. Lizzie Milner, 32, broke her back and lost both her lower legs in December 2016 at the age of 28. She was treated at Southampton General Hospital for ...

Dorchester’s Brewery Square will see the re-opening of various eateries in the coming weeks, following Government advice that all restaurants, cafés and bars can open from 4th July 2020. Zizzi will open its doors for a dine-in service on Friday 31st July, followed by Pizza Express on 6th August. Costa Coffee has been offering a takeaway-only service ...

Dorset County Hospital has been allocated £62.5million of Government funding to expand key clinical services on its Dorchester site. At a meeting of Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Board on 29th July 2020, members heard that the money had been allocated to DCH as part of the national Health Infrastructure Plan and the project had ...

A Government broadband scheme set up to provide a faster broadband service has helped over 230 Dorset homes and businesses since it launched in 2019 and now Dorset Council is investing £1 million so that it can reach up to 1,000 more. The £200m Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) has been helping to provide gigabit-capable connections ...

The Dorchester Ghost Walks are starting again with the first one taking place on Thursday 6th August beginning at 8pm from the Kings Arms Hotel in High East Street. Current regulations mean that all places on the walks will have to be booked in advance and the maximum numbers allowed on each walk will be limited ...

Local motorcycle riders have been delivering food to young carers and their families across Dorset. 20 young carers and their families had their food shopping delivered by The Bike Shed, a motorcycle riding group, who volunteered to support local communities during the Coronavirus pandemic. Dorset Council supports children and young people aged between 5 and 18 who ...

Next time you go to a beach in Dorset you should spot some new banners up. Litter Free Coast and Sea have coordinated a coast wide campaign with most of Dorset’s resort beaches joining together with the call for beach goers to “Slam Dunk the Junk”. We have all seen reports of more littering and aggressive ...

This Summer Litter Free Dorset have developed the ‘Don’t Be A Tos53r’ campaign to target visitors that may choose to leave their rubbish behind in Dorset. As lockdown restrictions where eased in June littering behaviour has increased dramatically. As people’s habits are moving to ‘take away’ options disposable packaging is on the rise and risks polluting ...

A new COVID Health Protection Board will monitor for and respond to any potential coronavirus outbreaks in Dorset. Sam Crowe, Director of Public Health for Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Councils, will chair the Board, which will look at the number of cases in the county and where they are, monitoring for any rises ...

Officers investigating a fail-to-stop collision in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward. At approximately 12.30pm on Thursday 23 July 2020 officers attended a collision involving a silver hatchback Proton vehicle and a woman aged in her 20s on Astrid Way at the junction with The Esplanade. It is reported ...

Dorchester’ Heritage and Tourism Community agrees consultation on new tourism strategy. The Dorchester Joint Heritage Committee is inviting Dorchester residents and visitors to comment on its Heritage Tourism Strategy. The strategy was agreed for draft consultation at its meeting on Tuesday 21st July. Dorchester benefits from over 6000 years of history and is seeing significant investment in ...

Love sailing and boating? As harbours and marinas have reopened and people get back to sailing and boating, Litter Free Coast and Sea and Natural England have joined together to ask boaters to think about where they are going to the toilet. Sarah Spurling from Litter Free Coast and Sea explained “We want to thank all those ...

KeeP 106 has been running for two years and we are delighted to announce that our 2nd birthday appeal will support the Prince of Wales School in raising £5,000 to make the school’s wildlife garden accessible to everyone. Julia Nineham, the pre-school leader and a Governor at the school, explains more about the history of the ...

A body has very sadly been found in the search for missing man Thomas Gatfield from Portland. Dorset Police received a report at 10.39pm on Thursday 23 July 2020 raising concern for the welfare of the 34-year-old man after he was in mobile phone contact with family and friends and seemed very upset. Extensive searches were carried ...

The family of a young man who very sadly died in a collision near Beaminster has issued a tribute to their loved one. At 6.24pm on Tuesday 21 July 2020 officers received a report of a collision on Chedington Lane in Mosterton involving a small International Harvester tipper tractor. Officers attended, along with the fire and ambulance ...

Officers investigating a serious injury collision in Bovington are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward. Dorset Police was called at 6.20am on Saturday 25 July 2020 to a report that a grey BMW 320d left the road and was in collision with a hedge on King George V Road near ...

Dorset Police has been commended after an independent inspection found “high levels of accuracy” in the way crime is recorded. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has rated the Force as “good”, with 93 per cent of reports recorded accurately and within 24 hours of the initial report. Victims are put “at ...

With most events off the menu for 2020, Dorset Food & Drink will continue to support and promote their fabulous local Dorset food and drink producers by looking at different ways to engage with the community. They have been exploring new partnership opportunities and venues to give their members a slice of DF&D action and came ...

From Friday 24 July 2020 Government COVID-19 legislation changes mean it is mandatory to wear a face covering in all shops and retail premises in Dorset. The measure will see all shops able to prevent entry to the premises to anyone not wearing a face covering. The new measure will see police given powers to issue a ...

This summer, residents will be able to choose their own books once again as libraries start to reopen in Dorset, just in time for some holiday reading! Since 8 July residents have been able to use an order and collect service at 22 of Dorset Council’s 23 libraries, but from Monday 27 July, nine Dorset Council ...

Two men have been given prison sentences following an investigation into an incident where gun shots were fired in Weymouth. Kyron Smye, aged 22 and of no fixed abode, and Niall Kelly, 20 and of Penrhyn Road in Northampton, were sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on Monday 20 July 2020. Smye was given a six and ...

Officers are appealing for anyone with information to come forward following two fires in Weymouth that are believed to have been started deliberately. At around 12.15am on Tuesday 21 July 2020 officers attended two fires near to each other on the heathland behind Kestrel View. The fires damaged approximately 10 metres by 50 metres of land. Nobody ...

Call for families to make and share their organ donation decision now the law has changed in England. New figures published today by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) show that last year (2019/20) 1,580 people in the UK donated their organs after they died. In Dorset, 17 people gave the gift of life, by donating their ...

Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner has launched a survey asking residents about their experiences of anti-social behaviour. The survey will ask residents whether they have been victims of anti-social behaviour, how much of a problem they think it is in their area and whether they believe it’s got worse or better in recent years. Police and Crime ...

Dorset Council sets out how it will spend £9.1m fixing and upgrading roads, and preventing potholes Officers in Dorset Council’s Highways team are asking Cabinet to approve plans to invest £9.1m toward repairing some of Dorset’s worst roads and improving others. On 14 May, the Secretary of State for Transport announced a £1.7 billion funding allocation to ...

A new special school will be built in Dorset so more children can be educated closer to their homes. The Government gave the go-ahead yesterday (19th) after Dorset Council successfully bid for funding for the new special free school. The school will provide much needed places for Dorset children who would otherwise have to travel out ...

Officers have been carrying out searches for a man who has gone missing in the water off Portland. Dorset Police was called at 10.21pm on Sunday 19 July 2020 to reports a man had entered the water near the area of Church Ope Cove. Officers, the NPAS helicopter and other emergency services, including the ambulance service, the ...

We are delighted to announce that, as a direct result of the Keep 106 Trike Appeal announced a couple of weeks ago, Dorchester & District Lions are pleased and proud to have handed over a cheque for £1500 to Gary Spracklen , headteacher at Prince of Wales School, Dorchester, yesterday (Thursday 16 July) This covered the ...

Detectives investigating a reported sexual assault in Purbeck have arrested a man. The incident is reported to have occurred during the night of Wednesday 15 July 2020 into the morning of Thursday 16 July 2020 in the area of Durlston Country Park near Swanage. A woman aged in her 20s was camping at a small cove in ...

Dorset Police has seen a 2.3 per cent drop in recorded crime, according to new figures released on Friday 17 July 2020. Data released by the Official for National Statistics, shows the Force has reversed a previous rise in crime in just six months. Following a crime reduction of 2.3 per cent during the 12 months to ...

A man has been charged in connection with a fire that is alleged to have been started deliberately in Dorchester. Dorset Police was called at 4.07am on Monday 29 June 2020 to a report of a fire at a block of flats on Bitter End. The surrounding roads were closed to allow emergency services to deal with ...

Weldmar Hospicecare Summer Fete is cancelled for the first time in 25 years, with a £25,000 fundraising blow. It’s an annual event that has survived an arson attack and flooding in the past, but the 2020 Weldmar Hospicecare Summer Fete will not be going ahead due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The popular fete usually attracts more ...

Partner agencies in Dorset are urging communities and visitors to the county to enjoy the summer holidays safely. With the school summer term due to finish for many this week, councils, emergency services and other organisations have been busy preparing for a wave of visitors arriving to experience all that the county has to offer. However, with ...

A drug driver has been jailed after he was found guilty of causing a serious injury collision in West Dorset. Sam Laurence Harman, aged 30 and of Sussex Road, Weymouth, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Tuesday 14 July 2020 after being found guilty at an earlier trial of two offences of causing serious injury ...