CHRISTCHURCH Seagulls’ disability swimmer Alice Tai returned from Sheffield’s Ponds Forge pool laden with medals after making her mark at the DSE junior national championships. The 12-year-old England Talent Squad member won silver in the S9 category
LEON Watts struck gold as a seven-strong team from Poole-based Wessex Diving Club got among the medals at the Gavin Brown Love to Dive competition in Southampton. Watts, 16, won the boys’ 14-18yrs springboard competition with 168.00 points – the highest
CHERRIES chairman Eddie Mitchell has confirmed that defender Rhoys Wiggins today handed in a transfer request following interest from Watford. Mitchell claimed Wiggins declared his desire to leave Dean Court after Cherries turned down two bids from
DRIVERS faced long delays on the A31 this evening in both directions after two incidents. Traffic queued on the A31 after a Volvo estate crashed onto the central reservation at the foot of Castle Malwood Hill on the A31 near Cadnam.
PERSONAL details of 200 staff from a Christchurch-based housing group were mistakenly emailed to a member of the public. Staff payroll information including names, addresses and dates of birth, as well as the National Insurance numbers of employees
RESIDENTS and businesses will suffer if HSBC closes Milford’s last bank, claim campaigners. More than 50 placard-waving protesters were at the Church Hill bank – home of the village’s only cash machine – yesterday morning opposing the closure
PIRATES boss Neil Middleditch has made a surprise return to the Great Britain managerial hotseat. And the former Pirates, Eastbourne and Arena-Essex rider will lead GB in this year's Speedway World Cup campaign. It will be his second
Signs of spring are starting to appear on Dorset heathland but the question worrying wildlife experts is how many scarce Dartford warblers have survived. Harsh winters have in the past decimated the numbers of the perky small birds whose song
NOTHING says spring more than swathes of flowers, and this year we can expect a particularly bountiful display. According to experts, our diverse weather over the past few months has created the perfect conditions for an explosion of colour. It started
Hollywood legend Dame Elizabeth Taylor has died aged 79. The Oscar-winning star died on Wednesday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles from congestive heart failure, according to her spokeswoman Sally Morrison. She said
VIEW reaction and analysis from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants following today’s Budget announcement. Use the blog below or click here for a full size version. z
CHANCELLOR George Osborne has announced a 1p cut in fuel duty starting from 6pm this evening. In his budget speech he outlined his plans for growth and how he thinks he can make Britain the place to "start, fund and grow a business."
VERWOOD residents say they are up in arms about proposals “on our doorsteps” to dig up eight million tonnes of sand and gravel from land at Moors Valley country park and put more landfill in the forest. Hampshire county council’s consultation
COMIC actor and brewery owner Neil Morrissey’s show at the Regent Centre in Christchurch this Friday has been cancelled. The show Buble Fever, due on Saturday, April 2, will also not go ahead. Due to the cancellations the film The King’s Speech
A new trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean 4 has been unleashed on the internet. On Stranger Tides will be released this summer in 3D and finds Captain Jack Sparrow on the quest for the Fountain of Youth, only to find Blackbeard (Ian McShane
THE grieving sister of a man killed in a horrific drink drive crash has slammed the government’s decision not to lower the drink drive limit. Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said the proposal had been ruled out despite the recommendation of a Whitehall-commissioned
A TEENAGE driver was left fighting for his life in hospital after his car went out of control on a North Dorset road. The silver Citroen Saxo, being driven along the A357 towards Stalbridge, left the road around 300m from the junction of the A3030 at
SHE was born less than two months after the death of Queen Victoria, when atoms were still thought to be the smallest particle and two terrifying world wars were yet to come. As Ella Redmond, one of the oldest people in Britain, has turned
IT’S years since I last visited this chippy. I was an impoverished student at the time and had been lured inside by an advert for a deep-fried Cadbury’s Creme Egg, a decision I blame entirely on my Scottish heritage. Guiltily I enjoyed it, although
THE position of Bournemouth council’s top legal officer has been described as “untenable” after a hearing which cleared the authority’s deputy leader of any wrongdoing over planning applications. The evidence of monitoring officer Joy Postings
FUEL prices at the pumps reached a new record high yesterday with the average cost of diesel passing 140p a litre for the first time. According to the AA the average cost of petrol is now 133.46p a litre with diesel at 140.1p a litre. Chancellor George
Simon Armitage, arguably Britain’s greatest living poet, descended on the Lighthouse on Friday and set his audience ablaze with the power of his words. Despite being the winner of one of one of the first Forward prizes and becoming a recent owner of
FOLLOWING their previous sold-out tours in recent years, the fourteen-piece Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, which features a number of Buena Vista Social Club alumni, make their eagerly awaited return to the Lighthouse Poole on April 14. Joining the
MOST women would buy a new dress if they were invited to a posh party. But Tara Palmer-Tomkinson reportedly wants a new nose before she attends the Royal Wedding in April. Tara, who has already had one nose job to repair the damage caused by
Roast beef on a Sunday. Apart from the rib of beef that I roasted for Christmas dinner, I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a piece of beef on an “ordinary” Sunday. However, since I discovered my local butcher, beef has appeared on our menu-planning
AN overheated light bulb sparked a property fire in the Burton area of Christchurch this morning. Two crews of firefighters from Christchurch were called at 5.45 am to tackle the blaze which broke out in an airing cupboard of a house in Redcliffe Close
A CALL has been made for motorway-style traffic patrols to tackle the hold-ups which plague thousands of drivers every day on one of the area’s busiest roads. The A31 through the New Forest has averaged a traffic jam every day this year, the
TWENTY-seven years ago, I used to commute almost every weekend from my home near Manchester to visit my soon-to-be-wife in Poole. For three years, I’d finish work on Friday evenings and head off down south, the various landmarks along the way becoming
I DON’T have a dog, but I like dogs and ninety nine per cent of people are thoughtful dog owners. But Kings Road, and Court Road too, have been made into a canine toilet. From my house to the corner, past the doggie toilet box into Court Road I counted
I SEE another person is complaining about metrication (Graham Cribb, Echo March 7). I can’t understand their reluctance to embrace the metrication process. The USA and ourselves are the only countries in the world not to use the metric system. It’
ALL of us are well aware that local councils have been forced to increase council tax to residents as a result of Government cuts in support grants. Many thanks and personal congratulations to Bournemouth Council for anticipating the situation and working
UNDOUBTEDLY for many people, TV programmes such as Midsomer Murders kindle a feeling of nostalgia for the old English way of life. Is the airing of such a view justification for suspending Brian True-May, the programme’s producer (Daily Echo March 16
Fancy a snack? It doesn't have to be full or sugar or saturated fat - try this low GI, high energy spicy lentil dip... GI Tip: Lentils have a very low-GI rating, are a good source of protein and fibre, and contain lots of folic acid, potassium and
I HAD a hernia operation at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital on Monday March 14. I had to stay in for a night as I had no one to look after me at home after the anaesthetic. The treatment was first class and everyone there was so kind. The food was excellent
YOUR correspondent Jeff Williams obviously has it in for the police, armed forces, nurses, firefighters and teachers. All these groups receive a modest pension after years of dedicated service. I don't know where he gets his figures from. Most pensions
IT’S ALL very well to talk tough on how to save petrol by driving the car more carefully. In times of national difficulties and high fuel prices, abandonment of cars is much more appropriate. Recent talk of nationwide reductions of public transport
MUCH has been written regarding the picking of flowers in public parks. I was horrified to read that our brave boys in blue had tackled some small persons picking daffodils, without any health and safety assessments. Or indeed any armed back up. Did
Chancellor George Osborne is expected to unveil plans for an income tax cut worth around £45 a year in his Budget as he battles to offer voters some good news amid grim economic statistics. He is tipped to announce that the amount people can
RAFAL Dobrucki believes riders all around the world should “fight harder” to get the controversial new silencers scrapped if they feel they are dangerous. Pirates’ new boy sits out their home challenge clash against Eastbourne tonight (7.30pm) for two
FROM Kent to Cumbria via leafy Oxfordshire, Jayden Stockley has come a long way since the turn of the year. Having earned a recall for Cherries’ jaunt up country to Carlisle on Saturday, Stockley made a brief, if eye-catching, substitute appearance
JASON Doyle has admitted his surprise at being called up by Pirates as cover for injured Darcy Ward. Ward was originally left out of their 2011 team, despite helping Poole Castle Cover to Knockout Cup glory in October. Doyle said: “It
COACHLOADS of campaigners against government cuts to public services will leave Dorset for a huge protest march in London on Saturday. Teachers, nurses, and council workers from Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Dorchester, Blandford, Gillingham
INSPIRATIONAL target man Steve Fletcher insists he still has a major role to play in Cherries’ promotion push – both on and off the pitch. Fletcher has been used sparingly since he linked up with Lee Bradbury to take on the team management duties nine
